Preston Cole Ellis

Years of Participation

A Culinary Institute of Charleston graduate with a Bachelors of Culinary Arts in Baking and Pastry, as well as a Bachelors of Restaurant and Hotel Management, Cole Ellis spent 13 years in Charleston and Nashville under the tutelage of Tom Colicchio and Sean Brock. Ellis worked in some of Charleston’s most acclaimed kitchens such as Magnolia’s, Hominy Grill, and Carolina’s, as well as Voysey’s Pub and The Tides, both Colicchio properties, located on Kiawah Island. He relocated to Nashville to work with chef Tyler Brown at the Hermitage Hotel, where he took on the chef de cuisine post, and was responsible for raising livestock and running the vegetable garden for the property’s Capitol Grille. In 2013, Ellis returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Mississippi to open Delta Meat Market, a butcher shop, boutique grocer of fine Southern foods, and full-service restaurant located in Cotton House hotel. Following the hotel opening in summer 2019, Ellis debuted his newest concept, Bar Fontaine, an upscale, European bar serving small plates, housemade pastas, and clever cocktails. Ellis was nominated as a semifinalist in 2017 for the James Beard Award “Best Chef South,” and Delta Meat Market has been recognized for its butchery program in Bon Appetit, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, Delta Magazine, and more.