Why Atlanta’s Food Lovers are Traveling to Stillhouse for Cooks in Ellijay, Georgia
Surrounded by forest, Stillhouse for Cooks offers an intimate, farm-focused cooking experience that goes far beyond the recipe
When you arrive at Stillhouse for Cooks, it’s easy to forget you’re only 90 minutes from Atlanta. Founded by chef Dana Nahai, the cooking school sits on a 50-acre property in the Southern Appalachian Forest. Inside a purpose-built barn outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, intimate groups of no more than 12 people gather to prepare meals centered on the seasons.
But Stillhouse is about more than learning recipes and enjoying incredible food. “I think sometimes it’s difficult for people who live in a city setting to feel comfortable in the wilderness,” says Nahai. “I thought it would be a great way to bring people for food and nutrition education, to unwind and connect deeply with nature and hopefully themselves.” Guests are invited to wander the property’s woods or to recline on the terrace and soak up the mountain air. Here, it’s not uncommon to spot a wild turkey trotting by or a family of white-tailed deer.
At Stillhouse, a class is an all-day affair. Guests arrive midmorning for a light breakfast before preparing a four-course meal, which Nahai pairs with housemade beverages and herbal tonics. Drawing on her experience as both a chef and registered dietitian, she teaches approachable techniques and practical recipes built around the best ingredients the season has to offer.
In the fall, that means a cornucopia of mushrooms and herbs foraged on the property alongside produce from farms like Old Dial Road Farm in Morganton, Georgia. “In any given season, at least 80% of our menu’s ingredients are coming from farms around the state,” says Nahai. “We don’t advertise ourselves as farm-to-table because it feels a little overused and incorrectly used, but we are hyper-farm-to-table.”
Although Nahai has spent much of her career cooking in restaurants and private kitchens, she has always been drawn to the outdoors. With a background in food science and nutrition, she envisioned Stillhouse as a place where those passions could come together. “The wilderness has always been a balm for me, and I think it’s an incredible balm for the stress of modern life,” she says. “I wanted to create a place where people could come and spend a day in deep nature while experiencing the pleasure of refined hospitality, food, and drink.”
By the end of the day, Nahai hopes guests leave with more than a collection of recipes. Along with new cooking skills and a deeper appreciation for Georgia’s seasonal bounty, she wants them to feel more connected—to nature, to the people around their table, and to themselves. thebarnatstillhousecreek.com
