Whitney Otawka

Years of Participation

Whitney Otawka is the award-winning, rising star chef of the prestigious Greyfield Inn on Cumberland Island (GA), and author of The Saltwater Table: Recipes from the Coastal South, with blurbs from chefs and friends like Jacques Pépin, Edward Lee and Sean Brock [Abrams, October 22, 2019]. Whitney is originally from a small town in the Mojave Desert, and has spent time working with acclaimed chefs such as Hugh Acheson; Linton Hopkins; Dan Barber; Thomas Keller and others. She's appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef, and was also named one of Star Chefs’ Rising Star Chefs. Currently, she's the executive chef at the picturesque Carnegie-owned Greyfield Inn located on Cumberland Island, a nationally protected, rustic escape off the coast of Southern Georgia.

The Saltwater Table is a reflection of the cuisine Whitney has explored through her time and travels in the Coastal South. With more than 125 recipes, the book offers a modern perspective on southern flavors with a strong emphasis on vegetables and fresh ingredients — recipes include sea island red pea chili, flakey buttermilk biscuits with ginger-spiked fig jam, sweet Atlantic shrimp poached with beer, citrus, and bay leaves, orange and fennel butter cookies and blood orange and ginger soda. The Saltwater Table transports readers to the mysterious, lush Cumberland Island, allowing us to recreate a taste of this vibrant world in our own kitchens.