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    Southern Culinary Challenge: Georgia vs Florida

August 7 - 9, 2026

Southern Culinary Challenge: Georgia vs Florida

We’re bringing the best chefs from both sides of the Georgia-Florida line together for an exciting weekend to see who wins bragging rights in this one-of-a-kind culinary challenge hosted by Jules Executive Chef Shaun Doty.

For a complete weekend experience, reserve a well-designed cottage suite with a wood-burning fireplace paired with outdoor diversions including golf, spa, horseback riding, pickleball and more. Please reserve online or call 770.773.7480 ext. 1 to speak with our reservations team.

CHECK AVAILABILITY

 

chefs plating food in a kitchen

Featured Event
Southern Culinary Challenge: Georgia vs. Florida
Saturday,  August 8 | 6 p.m. 

Join us at Jules for the signature event of this culinary weekend. Guest chefs from both sides of the Georgia-Florida line are slated to prepare a showstopping menu with bragging rights on the line. Sourdough Geek James Bridges hosts the reception and emcees the dinner’s culinary presentations, including gathering votes from participating diners to see who comes out on top: Georgia or Florida.

6 p.m. Reception with Hors d’Oeuvres prepared by Georgia-Florida chefs.
7 p.m. Four-Course Dinner & Competition
Following dinner, guests vote to determine the victorious team!

$220 per adult (Guests 21+ Only)
Includes reception with passed hors d’oeuvres, four-course dinner & wine pairings
Price excludes tax and service charge

RESERVE DINNER

man in chef's coat smiling at camera

Cookbook Signing with Chef Dean James Max
Saturday, August 8 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Stop by the Outpost to purchase a copy of Chef Dean James Max acclaimed cookbook: A Life by the Sea: Modern American Seafood (2006). The 200-page cookbook is designed to demystify cooking seafood at home with simple, stylish, and fast recipes with dynamic photography by Quentin Bacon.

man in chef's coat holding a basket of bread smiling at camera

Sourdough Class & Lunch with Sourdough Geek James Bridges
Saturday, August 8 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Curious about sourdough baking and want to get started? Sourdough Geek James Bridges hosts a hands-on baking class with a special appearance by Chef Michael Hackman. This unique experience “in the kitchen” includes a light lunch prepared by the Jules team. 

Space is limited for this exclusive event. Advance reservations are highly recommended.  

$85 per adult (Guests 21+ Only)
Includes lunch & wine pairings
Price excludes tax and service charge

Book Now

Weekend Schedule of Events

Friday, August 7 

Enjoy dinner at the casual, open-air Biergarten  or the comfort of Woodlands overlooking the golf course

Saturday, August 8 

10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Cookbook Signing with Chef Dean James Max

11 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Sourdough Class & Lunch with Sourdough Geek James Bridges  

6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Four-Course Dinner & Competition | Southern Culinary Challenge: Georgia vs. Florida 

Sunday, August 9 

Brunch recommended at Woodlands or enjoy a casual breakfast al fresco at Biergarten

Featured Chefs

Georgia

man in chef's coat smiling at camera
Executive Chef, Jules at Barnsley Resort, Adairsville, Georgia

Shaun Doty

In his decades-spanning career, Jules Executive Chef Shaun Doty has cooked for R.E.M. and U2 in Atlanta, served up French cuisine to the ski set in Colorado and worked in MICHELIN-starred kitchens in France and Belgium. Among recent highlights in his culinary journey, Doty earned a James Beard Award semi-finalist distinction as partner and executive chef at The Federal in Midtown Atlanta. He also currently operates the beloved Bantam & Biddy restaurants with four locations in Atlanta, Chattanooga and Amelia Island. Most recently, Chef Doty is the partner Executive Chef for the newly opened Jules restaurant at Barnsley Resort.
man in chef's coat smiling at camera
Executive Chef, La Grotta, Atlanta, Georgia

Drew Van Leuven

Drew Van Leuven brings a culmination of over 30 years of hospitality experience to La Grotta. With mentors spanning from Chef’s Jean Louis Palladin to Guenter Seeger, he mastered a sense of unwavering discipline and an uncompromising standard from day one of his career.  Since relocating from New York to Atlanta, Drew has honed his skills at some of the most respected restaurants throughout the city including James Beard Award–winning The Deer & The Dove, Seven Lamps, One Midtown Kitchen, and Ecco.
Featured Chefs

Florida

man in chef's coat smiling at camera
President, Restaurateur & Chef, DJM Management, Florida

Dean James Max

Chef Dean James Max is the chef owner of DJM Restaurants, specializing in farm-to-table food and beverage concepts. Raised on his family’s produce farm, Chef Max developed a passion for fresh ingredients at an early age before earning a degree in business marketing and studying in Florence, Italy. Following a culinary internship with Ritz-Carlton, he spent more than 30 years opening acclaimed restaurant concepts across the country. Chef Max is a multiple James Beard Best Chef nominee, King of American Seafood winner, and author of two cookbooks.
chef baking bread
Chef Owner, Aioli, West Palm Beach, Florida

Michael Hackman

Chef Michael Hackman is a distinguished culinary professional who has played a significant role in shaping the West Palm Beach dining landscape for more than two decades. He began his career in the kitchens of some of Palm Beach’s most esteemed institutions, including The Breakers, Four Seasons, and Café L’Europe. In 2014, he founded Aioli, a chef-driven café concept renowned for its naturally fermented sourdough, house-made pastries, and thoughtfully curated daytime menus. In 2025, the concept was honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand, recognizing its commitment to quality and value.
Featured Chefs

Competition Host & Emcee

man in chef's coat holding a basket of bread smiling at camera
Chef & Baker, Sourdough Geeks

James Bridges

James Bridges is a chef, baker, and fermentation obsessive with a career that spans Michelin-recognized kitchens, a micro-bakery supplying top restaurants, and building bread programs for premium farm-to-table concepts. Today, James runs Sourdough Geeks full time alongside his wife and co-founder Claire, creating educational content and building what they believe a real baking community should look like.

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