From our flagship, Madison's restaurant, to the Wine Garden and Grill Room--as well as Four65 Woodfired Bistro and the Banquet Team-- Old Edwards Hospitality is known for some of the best locally-sourced dining in Western North Carolina. Our culinary team handcrafts each dish with farm-fresh, sustainable ingredients from our own gardens and greenhouses to bring out the season's most vibrant flavors. With a mind for elevated, classic southern cuisine, we strive to bring together the best of what North Carolina and other regional producers throughout the southeast have to offer and produce a unique yet unpretentious dining experience.
Madison's Restaurant
Chris Huerta
Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage
Growing up in Aiken, South Carolina, where pastures of majestic horses are common scenery, Chef Chris’ love for land began at an early age. He lived with his grandmother Mary Barnett, who was a dietician with an emphasis on nutrition, and the seed for his
culinary adventures was planted. His grandfather Bob grew up on the largest dairy farm in Washington, GA, and Chris‘ exposure to the significance of farm animals began. In 1998 at the age of 15, he took his first job in a local coffee shop and bakery where he was responsible for all the daily baking. In 2001, Chris began working for the Garrett Hotel Group and was with them for eight years, working at their famous The Willcox, The Point, and Lake Placid Lodge seasonally through all aspects of the kitchen. He would work for 6-7 months at a time rotating among each property during their busy season. While working as a Sous Chef at The Willcox, Chris had the amazing opportunity to work alongside renowned Chef Gunter Seeger. During his time working under Chef Seeger, Chris spent two summers with him honing his skills and then returned to The Point as they were closing The Willcox. Working for these Relais & Châteaux hotels furthered his interest in guest awareness of the quality of food they received.
In 2004, Chris left Garrett Hotel Group and moved to Atlanta to work directly under Gunter Seeger at his flagship fine dining Michelin Star restaurant, Seeger’s. Chris found his career experiences with Gunter life changing. Under Chef Seeger’s direction, Chris embraced his passion for cooking and developed a wealth of culinary knowledge, skill, and discipline. It was here he learned the emphasis of cooking with only the finest and freshest ingredients.
When Seeger’s closed its doors in 2007, Chris discovered the Blue Ridge Mountains of Highlands, NC through Old Edwards Inn & Spa owners Art and Angela Williams who frequented Seeger’s. He filled the position of Sous Chef at Old Edwards Inn and Spa’s Madison’s Restaurant. Chef Huerta started Madison’s Organic Garden at The Farm at Old Edwards in 2011, in large part due to Gunter’s masterminding of Georgia Grown, which took the place of Farmer’s Markets for Atlanta’s top restaurants. Chef Huerta was promoted to Chef de Cuisine shortly after, and to Executive Chef of Old Edwards Hospitality Group in November 2015, and to Director of Food and Beverage in 2023.
Chef Huerta is passionate about carefully crafting all aspects of the dining experience, beginning with agricultural practices, and carrying through to the presentation and guest experience.
Lauren Bland
Executive Sous Chef & Executive Pastry Chef
Growing up, Chef Lauren was lucky to have spent a lot of time in both of her grandmothers' kitchens. One was an accomplished Italian cook, insisting on feeding anyone & everyone. The other believed that dinner was an obligation and dessert,
a pleasure. Lauren quickly learned to use her cooking skills as barter for household chores. She harvested many meals from her mom’s garden. Family and friends knew the path she would eventually pursue.
Her first classical education was at the Canadian Culinary Institute in Toronto, Canada, where she earned her Red Seal Certificate. Immediately after graduation, she was selected to participate in The Next Great Canadian Chef Competition, where she was awarded a Bronze Medal. Lauren then went to Sorrento, Italy, where she worked at Mama Camilla’s Hotel and Cooking School. She also became the assistant to the pastry chef at Ristorante Caruso-- where she fell in love with that side of fine dining.
She returned to school at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York to earn her pastry degree. While there, she was invited to intern with Chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry & Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, CA. Upon completion of her pastry degree studies, The CIA immediately hired her as a teaching assistant under Chef Francisco Migoya at The Apple Pie Bakery Café. When her program ended, she flew out to become the Pastry Chef at The Little Nell in Aspen, CO.
After a two-year stint in Aspen, she realized she preferred living east of the Mississippi River and joined Charlotte's Carmel Country Club as their Executive Pastry Chef. Lauren was familiar with Old Edward’s dedication to clean and beautiful food, so when the opportunity opened in May 2021, she happily joined them as their Executive Pastry Chef. Her talents and organizational skills quickly endeared her to her team, and she was promoted in March 2025 to Executive Sous Chef and Executive Pastry Chef, serving the entire resort.
Sam Faust
Executive Banquet Chef
Sam grew up in England and moved to the US when he was 13. His first job was in a local restaurant in Florida when he was 15. He traveled to Spain in the slow season to work at his family’s restaurant in San Miguel De Salinas. He has worked his way up from cook to
Chef, catering for The Governor of Florida, working at private nature Reserve NGALA and alongside the Ritz-Carlton culinary team in Naples, Florida.
He moved to Chicago to further pursue his culinary career working for Hogsalt Hospitality Restaurant Group, Bavettes Bar and Boeuf, and Gilt Bar - with 4 years in their Pastry department to broaden his culinary skills.
He takes pride in the multicultural cuisines he has learned over the years and believes that food is a universal language that connects people and communities from many walks of life.
Annie Ledford
Executive Pastry Sous Chef
Born and raised in Canton, North Carolina, Annie comes from a family known for their kitchen talent. Her love for food and the community was shaped by summers spent gardening and cooking traditional Southern dishes with the women in her family, inspiring her to
become a third-generation chef. In high school, she worked in a local bakery and later as a restaurant server. After high school, she attended Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College’s Baking and Pastry program and completed a summer internship at Old Edwards. In 2019, she returned as a pastry cook and steadily rose through the ranks. Now, her goal is to create desserts that bring joy and connect people from all walks of life. In her free time, she enjoys her pets, traveling, and exploring new cultures and languages.
Jorge 'Lalo' Marín
Chef de Cuisine
Born and raised in Durango, Mexico, Lalo found his love for cooking early on. His mother was one of his first mentors, teaching him his first cooking techniques, recipes, and passion for hospitality through food. His professional career started when he decided to
leave his psychology studies and move to Guadalajara, Mexico, to attend the International Gastronomic School. While in school, he stepped into the industry by holding temporary jobs as a dishwasher and event assistant at various local restaurants.
Entering the fine dining scene, he worked at the Alcalde restaurant in Guadalajara, where he started as an intern and moved to line cook shortly thereafter. Taking big steps, he accepted an opportunity to move to Madrid, Spain, where he improved and developed his sense and appreciation for haute cuisine working at Atelier Belge.
Lalo arrived at Old Edwards in 2019 as an intern. After completing his internship, he moved to Highlands and began work full-time at Madison's restaurant. Over time, he developed his skills and was promoted to Sous Chef. In this position, he continued to grow alongside Chefs Chris Huerta and John Bowles. With dedication to his profession, he became the Chef de Cuisine of Madison's restaurant.
Lalo believes the most important thing about good food is the quality of the product, well-implemented techniques, and above all, a genuine passion for feeding others.
Celine Johnston
Madison’s Operations Manager
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Celine grew up in Germany. Her frequent family trips took her to Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United States. She realized that she enjoyed staying in different locations, making new memories, and meeting people from different
backgrounds and with different life stories. After finishing High School, Celine sought work as an intern in a boutique hotel in beautiful and diverse Brighton and it encouraged a love for hospitality.
Enrolled in a private hospitality school in Bavaria, Germany, she studied to become a hotel economist. In her second year, Celine found her way to Old Edwards Inn to complete a J1 internship at Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden. She considers it one of the best years of her life so far! While finishing her studies back home, she worked part-time in banquet departments all around Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Once she had almost 4 years of experience in different fields of Food and Beverage, Celine was able to refine her skills in guest service. She focused on making unique guest experiences in as many different locations as possible. After earning her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management at the end of 2020, she joined Old Edwards Hospitality Group once again—this time as a supervisor at Four65.
Celine says that she loved her Four65 work family but she is excited at the opportunity to return to Madison's where she hopes to create a warm atmosphere that welcomes guests as long-time friends. When she isn’t working, Celine enjoys sports, hanging out with friends, and discovering new places in this beautiful area.
Luis Leon
Maitre D'
Luis was born and raised in Acapulco, Mexico. Growing up, his father made a point to share different flavors and dishes with him. He discovered that he enjoyed watching culinary shows and competitions, and he found himself falling for gastronomy.
After high school, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Hospitality in 2016 and a master’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from ISU University in Puebla, Mexico, in 2018. While a student, he had the opportunity to be part of a culinary program as an intern for the Beaumier group in France. After graduating, Luis worked for Marriott International in the Rooms Department and on the Culinary team at Grupo Posadas.
In 2020, he joined the Old Edwards Hospitality Group as a Front Desk intern but found that his passion still longed for a culinary focus. Motivated to move into the world of Food & Beverage, Luis relocated to Savannah, GA, and worked as a server until he landed his first supervisory position at Kessler’s Bohemian Hotel. He rose quickly to the role of Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, but after only a year and a half, he decided to try something different and joined the seaside Cliff House Hotel in Ogunquit, ME as one of their Restaurant Managers.
After building a strong background in his beloved culinary career, Luis found his way back to the Old Edwards Hospitality Group when he joined Madison’s as Maitre D' in 2024. He is passionate about what he does and loves traveling, cooking, and experiencing new food.
Ana-Paula Arean
Lead Sommelier
Ana-Paula Arean - Born and raised in Mexico City with a Spanish-influenced family. Growing up, her grandfather always shared a glass of wine with her while cooking dinner together. That made her fall in love with gastronomy and the wine industry. After high
school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in hospitality management in CESSA University and started working for big hotel groups in the Human Resources area, but found that contact with people was her passion, so decided to start her journey in Food and Beverage, where she had a leader that taught her about wine and food techniques all the time.
She joined Old Edwards Hospitality Group in 2021 as a Food and Beverage intern. She fell in love with WNC and realized that wine was something she would love to learn more about, so she decided to certify with The Court of Master Sommeliers America and has been learning and developing her wine skills since then. She loves traveling, cooking, and reading in her free time.
Jonathan Marling
Assistant Sommelier
Originally born in Longview, Texas, Jonathan now calls Western North Carolina his home. Jonathan has had an extensive seven-year career here at the Old Edwards Hospitality Group. He has successfully moved around in different roles, outlets and responsibilities
within the company. He started at Madison’s in April 2018. In June of 2022 Jonathan took the roll of Food Beverage Supervisor at both the Old Edwards Club and Glen Cove and in December of 2022 through May of 2023 he apprenticed under Madison’s Sommelier team to further this his wine knowledge and grow his wine career.
In May of 2023 he went back out the clubs as Food Beverage Supervisor with a large focus on the wine programs and wine lists. Jonathan has also in this time earned WSET 2 and aspires to achieve CMS 2. Throughout his time at the hotel, he has traveled around the world visiting renowned wine regions and observing other Relais and Chateaux's and their processes and procedures trying to harness his experiences along the way to improve the resort and restaurants here at Old Edwards Inn.
Four65 Woodfire Bistro + Bar
John Johnson
Four65 Chef
At age 17, John began his restaurant career working as a dishwasher. From there he began training in preparation and was quickly promoted to cook. He then gained experience in multiple areas, working in fine dining and catering, setting up large events,
waiting tables and bartending. But the mainstay of his career has been cooking and management. John’s style has mostly been influenced by southern fun and comfort foods while cooking for family and friends. He enjoys the friendly family atmosphere at Four65 and appreciates the team's creative input—from making the daily side dish, to inventing specials that he can be proud of. He spends spare time cooking special meals with his daughter or just relaxing with his kids.
Jamie Bryson
Four65 Operations Manager
Jamie is from Franklin, North Carolina. She graduated college with a degree in Agriculture Production. Shortly after graduation, she joined the team at Four65 as a server and worked her way up to bartender. She quickly became Assistant Manager and
then Operations Manager in the Summer of 2024. She loves providing a space for guests to have a wonderful dining experience and being able to interact with people from all over the world.
Fun fact: her favorite dish is the Hot Pig Pizza.
The Farm and Gardens
Matthew Clayton
Director of Farms
A fourth-generation farmer, originally from Madison Wisconsin, the Highlands area has been drawing him back since he first visited in May 2018. An avid outdoorsman, Matthew called in for this interview from the trail and enjoys the opportunities
that Western North Carolina offers to backpack, canoe, and even hunting. After spending a couple of years in dangerous jobs, Matt began farming for himself. He moved to Georgia and helped start a small community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm—turns out—just down the street from Serenbe, a mixed-use community in Palmetto, Georgia that focuses on balancing development with conservation. The organization asked Matthew to join their team as the manager in 2016. In addition to delivering to Atlanta eateries and running the 25-acre Serenbe Farms, he also worked with 15-20 chefs in the Serenbe’s four restaurants. He joined the Old Edward family in 2019 and now helps Chef Chris Huerta raise produce for the needs of guests and locals alike. “There are so many ways to touch people through food. One of the best aspects is the direct connection made when one works towards feeding a neighbor, working toward a cause outside themselves.” It is this sense of purpose that has molded Matthew’s efforts as he created an experience-driven CSA farm and garden at GlenCove. Matthew says he is especially passionate about is “how disconnected most people are when it comes to where their food comes from” and he wants to change that.
