Chef makes her father’s garden shine

Chef Jill Heiser tends the shrimp that are about to become one of the evening’s appetizers.

Dr. Don Heiser and his wife, Carole, and their neighbors, Dr. Robert Madigan and his wife, Brenda, are big supporters of the Knoxville Museum of Art. That’s why when it came time for the annual L’Amour du Vin fundraising auction earlier this year, they wanted to put together something really great to auction off.

It just so happens that the Heisers have a fabulous vegetable garden in their back yard on Rio Vista Lane in West Knoxville. And the Madigans across the way have an excellent wine collection. But the best part of all? The Heisers’ daughter, Jill, is a chef in Atlanta. Jackpot!

Rosemary Gilliam was the lucky winner of the garden-to-table dinner for eight offered by the Heisers and Madigans. And, lucky us: Rosemary invited Alan and me to join the fun.

Chef Jill Heiser was raised in Knoxville and always cooked with her mother as she was growing up. At the time, she said, food was not very inspiring. “At every meal,” she said, ” we had a slice of white bread with four pats of butter.”

Jill began reading Cooking Light magazine and made a decision. “I wanted to change the way we ate,” she said. And gradually, she did.

Mint, spring pea and mascarpone crostini were among the appetizers at our garden-to-table dinner.

When she went to college, majoring in history, Jill was the cook for her sorority. After graduation, she went into marketing but used her spare time to entertain. “The Food Network had started to flourish, and I watched it all the time. At age 30, I decided to go to culinary school,” she said. Some of her classmates there called her “Granny.”

But it’s worked out pretty well. She worked in Atlanta for a time with a culinary consulting group. For the past year, she’s worked full-time teaching cooking lessons for Publix. “Customers come to classes every night,” she said, adding, “Publix is a great company to work for.”

Jill brought sous chef Dallas Miller to Knoxville with her to help prepare the meal that her parents auctioned off. “I wanted my Dad’s garden to really shine,” she said. We think she did just that.

Grilled green beans, herbed cream cheese and prosciutto bundles.

Here’s that shrimp spiedini with salsa verde hot off the grill.

Don Heiser’s vegetable garden. It’s electrified at the top and bottom of the fence to keep out varmints.

Beautiful bell peppers were flourishing there.

As were the tomatoes.

And lettuce.

I was happy to see one of my favorite vegetables, as well!

Meanwhile, Robert Madigan was pouring everyone some Prosecco.

Which we sipped while admiring the flowers.

Soon it was time to sit down to dinner. Here’s Dr. Madigan discussing the first dinner wine as Rosemary Gilliam and Tom Wood listen.

This first course was amazing. It was vine-ripened tomato sorbet with tomato tartare and chive oil.

It was paired with a 2011 Santi Monteforte soave classico. Madigan described it as “a female chianti.”

Melanie Wood and Myron Ely.

Fettucini, garden vegetables and basil pesto with seared scallops. Yum.

This course was paired with a 2013 Scarbolo sauvignon blanc. “It has a little more body,” Robert Madigan explained.

Alan Carmichael and Jayne Ely.

Dottie and Glenn Irwin.

Next came braised short ribs with wild mushrooms and mascarpone kale polenta. It was delicious.

This was paired with a 2008 Antinori Tignanello. “The first super Tuscan,” Robert Madigan said. “I’ve never had a bad Antinori,” Myron remarked. “But you’d better be willing to pay the price.”

Refreshing watermelon granita was served as a palate cleanser.

Dessert was lemon elderflower cake with strawberries, rhubarb and Chantilly cream. Alan was in heaven.

Pallini limoncello complemented the dessert.

Dallas Miller and Chef Jill Heiser accepted our congratulations on the excellent repast.

We relaxed a little in the den after dinner. Here are Brenda Madigan and Rosemary.

From left, hosts Don and Carole Heiser, Chef Jill Heiser, Rosemary Gilliam and Brenda and Robert Madigan.

Thanks, everybody!