Bravo Media’s Emmy- and James Beard Award-winning “Top Chef” heads to Charleston, South Carolina, for the upcoming season, and 5Church executive chef and partner Jamie Lynch is on board. Lynch battles it out in the kitchen along with eight esteemed chefs from across the country and eight returning chefs – chefs from past seasons who are seeking redemption for not bringing home the “Top Chef” bacon the first time. Lynch oversees operations at all three 5Church locations – Charleston, Charlotte and Atlanta – and he’s splitting his time between Charleston and Atlanta during the competition. Season 14’s supersized premiere airs Thursday, December 1 at 10 p.m. ET. For a sneak peek, visit online.
 
Amid all of the “Top Chef” excitement, Lynch has created several irresistible new dishes to top off the dinner menu at 5Church Atlanta. Could chicken adobo pay homage to the Charleston “Top Chef” competition with crushed Charleston gold rice, shaved broccoli, and lemon ash ($24)? Fresh farfalle beckons veggie lovers to savor corn, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli florets and ricotta salatta ($24) – and add grilled chicken for $5. Treasure the flavor of PEI mussels with toasted garlic, chorizo, heirloom tomatoes, vermouth and grilled bread to soak up those intoxicating juices ($13). Dine inside or go all out for fall by dining out on the street level or rooftop patios overlooking Peachtree Street in Midtown.

Turkey time is coming, but now’s the time to hit up Tin Lizzy’s Cantina for FlexMex platos …because these three platos are only around for a limited engagement. Choose grilled skirt steak with creamy chimichurri sauce ($12.99), grilled mahi mahi topped with jalapeño pineapple salsa ($13.29) or boneless pork chop with house-made mole sauce ($12.99). Seasoned rice, black beans and fried sweet plantains accompany all three of these affable amigos. Toast your new FlexMex friends with Tin Lizzy’s blood orange margarita, a colorful, potent blend of Casa Nobles Organic tequila and Napa blood orange juice ($9.50). Blood orange. Sounds spooky, tastes delish.

Forty years of Wagner family winemaking heritage is enough to send oenophiles into a state of California dreaming. Reality is, Atlantans can experience a wealth of Wagner Family of Wine varietals, including Napa’s Caymus Vineyards Special Selection wines, at a Ray’s on the River wine dinner on Thursday, November 10. Rich Bowman, Wagner’s southeast regional manager, is the guest speaker at executive chef AJ Jones’ five-course dinner with wine pairings, all tailored to autumn appetites. Cured opah cheek with tarragon apple purée, radish and wonton chip paired with 2015 Conundrum rosé starts the evening followed by wildflower salad, frisée, minted pea purée and white balsamic mist along with 2014 Emmolo merlot. Mouthwatering meats are next: roasted pheasant, black mission fig, Asher Blue cheese mousse, honey lavender gastrique with 2014 Conundrum white and 2014 Conundrum red followed by hand-carved elk rack, gnocchi, maitake, cipollini and bone marrow reduction paired with 2013 Caymus Special Selection. Dessert presents peach mousse bomboloni, candied peel and raspberry paint along with a glass of 2014 Conundrum sparkling. $95 per guest plus tax and gratuity. Space is limited and reservations are required with credit card to hold; call 770-955-1187.

Knowledge never tasted so good; just ask White Oak Pastures’ owner Will Harris. His Bluffton, Georgia, farm was named a Savory Institute Training Hub in 2015, and now he is bringing a worldwide event called “Eat It, Wear It, Regenerate It: Igniting a Consumer Revolution” to Atlanta. On Friday, Nov. 4, Harris will host the Southeastern premiere of the Institute’s world broadcast and has assembled a team of top chefs to put the “dinner” in his dinner-and-a-movie evening.  
 
Chefs Kevin Gillespie and Andreas Müller (Gunshow and Revival), Tal Baum (Bellina Alimentari), Reid Harrison (White Oak Pastures), Terry Koval (Wrecking Bar Brewpub) and Jenn Robbins comprise the talented culinary team behind the food stations. Each chef will highlight a protein from White Oak Pastures for guests to enjoy while mingling, learning more from Harris about his farm’s regenerative farming methods and viewing the four short films. Beer will be provided by Second Self Beer Company. The 6-8 p.m. event takes place at The Shed at Ponce City Market. Purchase $35 tickets online (include food and two alcoholic beverages).

No time like the present to get into the spirit of giving. Always scoping out ways to give back to the community, Tin Lizzy’s Cantina recently treated Second Helpings Atlanta to a sizable donation. Non-profit organization Second Helpings strives to eliminate hunger in the five-county metro Atlanta area by rescuing surplus food and delivering it to those in need. In its dedication to ending hunger in the Atlanta area, Tin Lizzy’s delivered a total of $40,000 worth of food to be distributed to those in need by eight Second Helpings partner agencies. Holy guacamole, that’s a lot of food! Zoom over to Sandy Springs for Second Helping’s Taste of the Trucks event with a kid zone, private VIP area, music, artist market and you guessed it, food trucks! Roll into the family fun from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door and VIP is $50. Want to help? Volunteers and donations are always needed.

Get a load of Ormsby’s executive chef Nick Anderson’s plump black bean burger ($10) wearing tortilla chips and guac (yes, you can have it all), Adda’s blackened chicken Greek salad ($12), Uncle Lenny’s Southern Cuban ($11), the veggie grinder ($10) and veggie bowl ($10) – all among the newbies and old favorites on Ormsby’s fall menu. Break from darts or another of Ormsby’s goodtime games to share pork belly bites ($7) or shrimp and crab risotto balls ($7) over a few beers or handcrafted cocktails. Heavenly milk stout chocolate custard or crispy banana pecan bread pudding ($4 each) and a nightcap promise sweet dreams. Stop by the Westside eatery for lunch, dinner, late night and hours in between. 

Thursday nights, follow the smoke signals rising above Monroe and Piedmont to HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and satisfy your burning desire to chow down on ‘cue, smoked meats and Southern sides – outside under the big sky. Enjoy barbecue on the patio from 5 p.m. until it’s all gone, dine-in or take out, along with the regular menu. Fall nights are patio perfect so stick around for live music by James Patrick Morgan from 8-11 p.m.

Mild-mannered lobster rolls need not apply at American Cut. Buckhead’s new upscale American steak restaurant turns up the heat in its chili lobster appetizer. Savor tender lobster chunks and use the hunks of Texas toast to sop up every drop of the addictive kicked-up sauce (market price).

No Leftovers are pretty much guaranteed for dishes on this ‘gram about the food travel life. Well, maybe for the torched sea urchin, but that’s a prickly subject.

Knock, knock. Who’s gobblin’ at your door this Halloween? Be prepared for an onslaught of ghouls, zombies, fairy princesses and superheroes with Frightful & Flavorful fare. You’re not imagining things, we’ve found healthy Halloween snack ideas for kids. Freaky cakes resembling brains. Wonton bats to bite. Toxic waste mac and cheese. Mummy-wrapped baked brie. And after you carve that pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern, do likewise to an orange bell pepper and stuff it with shredded chicken and black beans instead of a candle.