Only two North Carolina finalists are in the running for a coveted James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award this year, both hailing from the Asheville area.
The prestigious awards program recognizes excellence in the hospitality industry, from established fine dining restaurants in major U.S. cities to mom-and-pop casual eateries in small towns across the nation.
In the James Beard Foundation’s search for standout restaurants and culinary artists, a 50-acre regenerative farm in the Turkey Creek valley in Leicester, North Carolina, about a 20-minute drive northwest of downtown Asheville, was put on its radar.
Executive Chef Taylor Montgomery, who hosts farm dinners at Montgomery Sky Farm with his wife, Fran, received a nomination for Best Chef: Southeast.
The chef, who practices diversified farming of multiple crops, said he aims for diners to leave with a better understanding of agriculture and heritage that are lost to monoculture farming.
“I like to grow things that have a history, that you can’t find in a grocery store, and that our ancestors grew and that we’re losing because of mechanized farming,” Taylor Montgomery told the Citizen Times on May 28 during a tour of the farm. “I like to tell that story in each plate. Each plate of food that you’re served on one of these tasting menus will come with its own story of these vegetables and how it’s cooked.”
Since 2018, Taylor and Fran Montgomery have continued to grow and evolve their humble farm, which also serves as the home of their nonprofit animal rescue, Final Run Rescue, where they rehabilitate and care for livestock, improving their quality of life.
In 2024, Taylor Montgomery left traditional restaurant kitchens to focus on farm operations, including harvest-driven barn dinners.
The farm embodies the farm-to-table philosophy, growing produce and sourcing other ingredients and materials for the open-air dining experiences in their crops and greenhouse, just steps away from the dining table.
“The dream was always to start this farm based on (our) passions: Taylor’s love of food and being in the restaurant industry for 25 years. A love of farming and knowing what you’re putting in your body. And our love for animals,” Fran Montgomery said.
“I like to grow things that have a history, that you can’t find in a grocery store, and that our ancestors grew and that we’re losing because of mechanized farming.”
2026 James Beard Award finalists
The Montgomerys will attend the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards, hosted on June 15 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
Montgomery Sky Farm is also the subject of the film “The Soil Remembers,” directed by Rioin “Rio” Oshiro, nominated for a James Beard Media Award in the Documentary Visual Media category. The 20-minute film shows a day-in-the-life of the farm and the Montgomerys’ food distribution relief efforts, during which they served an estimated 15,000 meals in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene in the fall of 2024.
“Leaving restaurants two months before Helene and going through nine months of devastation work is really tough as a business,” Fran Montgomery said. “To receive the accolades now, we’re grateful for the awareness of what it means for the people and communities we helped feed in Asheville. The recognition is huge for a community that needs the uplift.”
Also representing western NC are Chai Pani founders Chef Meherwan and Molly Irani, who are nominated in the national Outstanding Restaurateur category. In 2022, Chai Pani won the Outstanding Restaurant award, earning one of Asheville’s first James Beard Awards, while Cúrate received the Outstanding Hospitality award.
Dining at Montgomery Sky Farm
Many known big hitters are vying to bring home the big win. Yet, Montgomery Sky Farm and Taylor Montgomery remain unknown to many in the Asheville area, as he worked in Greenville, South Carolina’s dining community for many years before returning home to Leicester full-time.
“It was a struggle. In my head, I wasn’t done yet. I’m not ready to be turned out to pasture, as they say, but I came to the realization that this is important and we can make a bigger difference,” he said.
The chef-farmer said he didn’t imagine the farm would evolve as it has, that it happened organically.
Taylor Montgomery now has the freedom to shine on the plate, and the dinners work to further introduce guests to the farm’s multi-layered operations.
The intimate, ticketed harvest dinners, usually capped at 24 guests for a five- to nine-course meal, are served as a prix fixe menu. Upcoming dinners are priced from $225 to $250 per person and require advance registration. Private dining experiences may serve two to 40 guests. Wine pairings that may be added, with zero-proof options offered.
Sustainability practices are at the core of each meal, as the chef aims to create little to no waste. Seeds are gifted to dinner guests to plant at home.
Taylor Montgomery’s menus are inspired by the new harvests ― an average of 20-30 fresh ingredients may be featured. And even a bale of hay has been used to make a flavorful broth to accompany a dish.
“I was running through the house with a flake of hay in a stockpot. I threw it in a pot of water and brought (the heat) up, and it had that floral kind of sweetness, and that’s where it started. In comes roasted duck,” the chef said.
The roasted duck carcass was added to the hay broth to give it an umami richness. The duck and broth were served with turnip greens and yams.
“Although I’m out here in the mud, I’m always thinking, how can we tell the story of the farm that translates through the food?” he said.
Sustainability practices are at the core of each meal, as the chef aims to create little to no waste. Composting and fertilization are key elements in the farm cycle, connecting the harvests, animals and diners. The farm also takes in compostable food waste from local restaurants to enrich the soil.
Seeds are gifted to dinner guests to plant at home.
“Coming home to take care of this land and grow the heritage heirlooms that we’re losing and put that on people’s plates for that awareness,” Taylor Montgomery said.
Saving lives at Final Run Rescue
Final Run Rescue is led by Fran Montgomery, who studied veterinary medicine and worked as a veterinary technician for 18 years. She applies her skills and experience to care for farm animals who have been abandoned, abused, older, injured or whose owners can no longer support them, and improve their quality of life.
Last year, the farmers constructed a medical intake barn used for rehabilitation and offices, fully funded by donations. Fran Montgomery said the facility was 10 years in the making, though the animal rescue was founded five years ago and received nonprofit status two years ago.
Montgomery Sky Farm is primarily run by the couple, with assistance from a few contract service industry workers for dining events. Final Run Rescue outsources further support from area medically trained professionals.
“We’re able to do a lot of it on property, which from a financial standpoint is huge, so donations help fund the mission, and this building will allow us to hopefully do even more here,” Fran Montgomery said.
About 20 Highland cows, 15 donkeys, three goats, four horses, 20 Valais Blacknose sheep and many more Kune Kune pigs, chickens, dogs and an alpaca are among the growing herds, packs and flocks roaming the pastures and pens. Earlier this year, they sheltered two young capybara, which are expected to grow to around 100 lbs., and for whom they plan to build a swimming hole.
As much as the couple enjoys caring for their animal residents, the heartache can sometimes be too much to bear, and the load too heavy to lift on their own.
“We always remind ourselves that loss is inevitable, and you can do everything right, and it still isn’t enough sometimes,” Fran Montgomery said.
Rigatoni was the worst of four neglected donkeys the Montgomerys took in earlier this year, providing proper nutrition, treating wounds and ailments, reshaping their mangled, overgrown hooves, and helping them learn to walk again.
Rigatoni is an inspiration for what good can be accomplished, as the farmers witness his strengthening, his hooves straightening out and new hair growing in under the mangled patches. And no longer does Rigatoni shy away from his human caretakers, but strolls up to greet and nuzzle them.
“The dream with this medical intake barn is that we will be able to help more animals and eventually start adopting them out,” Fran Montgomery said.
Montgomery Sky Farm’s Field & Creek market
Fran Montgomery said that every day on the farm brings lessons learned, and external factors like weather and climate change add to the challenges.
“Last year, I planted 50-plus fruit trees, and the cicadas came, and I probably lost half of them. And hail storms last year, I had all my starter plants out, and it made Swiss cheese out of all the leaves and killed all of them,” Taylor Montgomery said.
Helene washed out most of their fields and destroyed crops, forcing them to restart growing operations, but the farmers predict they will rebound stronger this year.
The working farm is private, so drop-ins are discouraged, but other public and private events allow guests to enjoy the farmland and its animal inhabitants under supervision.
Montgomery Sky Farm’s Field & Creek produce market is usually open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at 336 Turkey Creek Road. Closure updates are posted on the farm’s website.
The spring crops include heritage field peas, squashes and strawberries, surrounded by pollinator flowers.
Taylor Montgomery is also planting rare heritage seeds of the Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad Tomato, reportedly carried from the South through the Underground Railroad by an unnamed Black man seeking freedom in the North, to ensure the species’ continued existence.
“I’m going to grow it, and I’m going to share the seeds and we’re going to keep it going,” he said.
The event barn ― which the couple built for their wedding in 2019 ― and pasture-side areas are available for private event rentals, such as weddings and special dining service, with Taylor Montgomery providing the feast.
Volunteer days on the farm will launch this summer, and donations are welcome to support Final Run Rescue.
The Montgomerys intend to build a commercial kitchen to expand dining services, and offer educational outreach for guests to learn about the farming practices how to cook with the ingredients.
“There’s a reason we’ve adopted the model ‘Keep pushing,’ because every day we feel like we keep pushing or get pushed by whatever comes our way,” Fran Montgomery said.
Montgomery Sky Farm and Final Run Rescue
Info: View Montgomery Sky Farm’s upcoming dining and event schedule at montgomeryskyfarm.com/The-Experiences. To learn more about Final Run Rescue, visit montgomeryskyfarm.com/Our-Non-Profit. For updates, follow @montgomeryskyfarm and @finalrunrescue on Instagram.
On June 28, Montgomery Sky Farm will host a community screening from 5-8 p.m. at Highland Brewing in Asheville. Tickets are $25 for general admission, with a cash bar. The VIP experience, which includes admission, light bites, premium viewing and a take-home gift, is $75. Visit montgomeryskyfarm.myshopify.com.
Reporting by Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
