By Tabitha Evans Moore | EDITOR & PUBLISHER
BELL BUCKLE — This fall, Bell Buckle will break out the silverware, linen tablecloths, smoke and flame when HAUTE: a Live Fire Dining Experience debuts at Lynfield Gardens on Saturday, September 27 at 5 p.m.
Part culinary performance, part Southern gathering, the event promises a multi-course meal cooked entirely over open fire in the garden’s outdoor setting. Unlike a traditional barbecue or catered dinner, HAUTE is designed to immerse guests in the theater of fire itself – the crackle of wood, the glow of embers, and the slow transformation of ingredients into art.
Adding to the excitement, Lynchburg’s own professional barbecue team, Barking Pig BBQ – led by Drs. Bryant and Wendy Morton – will handle the cooking. Known for their pitmaster precision and deep roots in Tennessee smoke culture, the team will bring the same craft that has earned the barbecue power couple of Lynchburg a cabinet full of awards and a reputation for world-class barbecue.
“Stephanie and I really just clicked, and we were fortunate enough to get asked to cook for this truly unique event,” Wendy says. “We brainstormed ideas back and forth for a long time, then did a practice night a few weeks ago. We chose chicken quarter because there’s just something special and different about chicken over a live fire.”
Wendy says she and Bryant met Lynfield Gardens owners, Chris and Stephanie Sarsfield, at last year’s Bedford County Fair Farm-to-Table Dinner.
“We really liked what they did and instantly had a conversation about collaborating,” Stephanie tells us. “It took off from there.”
The Sarsfields say the evening will showcase more than just food; it’s meant to be an elevated, full sensory experience. Guests can expect the atmosphere of small-town charm paired with high culinary drama under a backdrop that blends rustic Southern beauty with an intimate setting perfect for watching the chefs at work.
Haute-style dining with the skill of local pitmasters
The venue sits just off Highway 82 in Bell Buckle. The sprawling pick-your-own farm opens July through September each year and boasts acres of cut flowers, around 200 peach, apple and pear trees, as well as a full acre of blackberries.
“It’s an interactive dinner,” Stephanie says. “Bryant, Wendy and their team will be cooking everything right in front of guests. The live fire will be a large area with chairs. People can sit around it and take everything in: the food, the art, the live music.”
HAUTE is part of a growing trend of “live fire dining” experiences appearing across the country. Similar events have popped up in larger cities like Franklin, but Bell Buckle’s version distinguishes itself by anchoring the experience in authentic Southern tradition. By pairing haute-style dining with the skill of local pitmasters, the event aims to offer something both elevated and deeply rooted in community.
Guest can kick off the night with a blackberry sangria then sip it as the meander through the “Secret Garden” while listening to live stringed instrumental music from multiple genres. Artists will be onsite painting Plein air style at the event.
Next will come a salad bar filled with leafy greens, brazed chojuro pears, caramelized grapes, feta crumbles, fire roasted red onions and walnuts. Artisan breads, pesto and olive oil will complete the spread.
The main four course meal will boast roasted Picanha from a local butcher, homemade wild rice soup, fire grilled chicken quarters served with roasted Yukon gold potatoes with garlic butter, and Brussels sprouts and garden carrots toasted with butter in cast iron with garlic cloves, onions and walnuts served over lemon aioli. Finally, dessert will be a blackberry crumble with fire roasted pineapple in sugar and cinnamon, served over vanilla ice cream and drenched in bourbon honey glaze.
The cost to attend is $140 per person or $260 per couple. Tickets and additional details are available online. Seating is limited. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page by clicking here. •
About The Lynchburg Times
The Lynchburg Times is an independent, woman-owned newspaper rooted in the heart of southern middle Tennessee. Led by a Tulane-educated journalist with over two decades of experience covering this region, we shine a light on the people, politics, and cultural pulse of a changing South. From breaking news to slow storytelling, we believe local journalism should inform, empower, and preserve what makes this place unique. Supported by readers and community partners, we’re proud to be part of the new Southern narrative – one story at a time. [Support us here.]