What an awesome experience! My wife and I discovered Chef Vivian and this restaurant years ago when her PBS show "A Chef's Life" premiered and at the time we were living in CA but we had always told ourself we would stop by and eat here if we ever vacationed nearby. Fast forward to today where we now live in OH so during our weekend getaway to North Carolina we finally got to try it! Service was amazing, food was full of flavor and the menu had plenty of new and interesting things to try. We had the corn bread and meat & cheese tray for starters, my wife ordered the confit chicken, and I ordered the blackened salmon. We loved every bit of it and are so glad we finally got to check this one off the list!

My husband and I planned on visiting as part of our vacation. The whole experience was better than anything we anticipated. The food was exceptional. The delicate balance of flavors is hard to put into words. We were shown around the beautiful restaurant by our wonderful hostess, Kristen.Thank you for the calas. They were delicious, of course. Being fans of the show, it was extra fun to see everything in person. I highly recommend this restaurant for the quality of food, warm welcome from all the staff, and beautiful setting. Looking forward to when we can return.

My wife and I have been watching Vivian's PBS shows recently. I decided to bring her for an early Birthday present. Never had Collards before but based on the many reviews I've read we tried the Flash Fried Collards. They were fantastic. We had the NY Strip and Chicken Confit. Both were delicious. Brown butter mash as a side was really good. For dessert we had the Carrot cake. I love Carrot cake and this one didn't disappoint. Not the typical heavy frosting ladder Carrot cake. It was very light and had a slight mocha flavor that was a pleasant surprise. The staff was very pleasant and helpful especially our waitress Kashia. She was there when we needed her and handled everything beautifully.

Two and a half hour ride to celebrate my birthday. Chef& the farmer did not disappoint. Seriously the best meal I've ever had.The food is amazing.We loved our server Casey. She was so friendly and took the time to answer all are questions. Wonderful atmosphere and the candles in the ladies room are such a nice touch.

Chef & the Farmer did not disappoint again! This place lives up to the Vivian Howard hype. All the seasonal items we tried from the meat and cheese platter to the sweet potato biscuits were absolutely delicious. The chicken parmigiana was sous vide then spread and battered before being fried - very deliciously tender meal! The NC trout, NY strip steak and the pork chop were also amazing and cooked to perfection. The beef lasagna is another unique dish that I recommend trying. Also, their wine and cocktail list is vast and their bar tenders take their drinks to the next level. To top off the excellent ambience the service is top notch which creates a a culinary environment conducive to all sorts of events! I highly recommend the Chef and the Farmer experience. Side note, while waiting for your table visit Mother Earth brewery.

Oh my goodness! What a delight to eat at Vivian Howard's restaurant. It surpassed our expectations by a mile! The ambiance, presentations, flavors, variety and service was excellent (Susan snd others)! We were not sure about some of the reviews we read and almost cancelled our reservation but are so glad we went anyway! My partner said the pork chop was the best he had ever eaten. He also raved about the basil infused gimlet. I found the Miso gingered collard greens and the marinated cucumber noodles to be the highlight of the meal. I also LOVED the strawberry salad which had an amazing strawberry dressing. The 10 layer chocolate cake with vanilla chantilly cream was spectacular. Im not a fan of caramel but the rest of the dish was so good I would order it again. We shared the cake and are glad we did because there was plenty to satisfy. We are looking forward to our next visit already as we live in upstate NY and only get this far south occasionally .

This is our fourth trip for an Anniversary dinner and our fifth trip overall. Our first dinner there was before the television show premiered. We started with two appetizers, tempura okra and cornbread with peach butter. The okra was fried whole, which I was not used to, but it was lightly fried and juicy on the inside. The accompanying ranch sauce was flavorful, but not overpowering. While I would have preferred the cornbread hot, it had a nice texture, and the peach butter was tasty, but a little too sweet. Our entrees followed--my wife had the Not Lobster Risotto, while I had a pork chop with peach chutney. The risotto had a playing mix of textures with a pleasant seafood flavor even without the lobster. My pork chop was cooked perfectly, with the sweet heat of the chutney perfectly complementing the tender meat. We finished our meal with two desserts, banana cake with pecan buttercream and orange baklava, which were both excellent. The service was attentive and friendly. We would not hesitate to return again.

Stopped in for a meal with the family on my daughter's 21st birthday from Raleigh. The experience was wonderful. The waiter and staff are very friendly and knowledgeable, though the waiter did not catch my Ribeye order and instead brought me a New York Strip, regardless, the food was amazing. We had the flash fried collards, the cheese bread, a few libations, and our main course with brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. We also splurged for dessert. The floor plan has changed quite a bit since our last visit, but was quite nice. If you're in the Kinston, NC area, stop by and see what Vivian has done with the place. You won't be disappointed.