kitchen
Our culinary team works with local farmers, growers, and artisan producers to design a creative rotating menu with seasonal ingredients and house made components.
The kitchen operates daily.
executive chef chris humphrey
As a downtown staple, you’ve most likely tried one of his dishes. Chris Humphrey has worked behind the swinging doors at some of Charlottesville’s most popular restaurants during his thirty years in the kitchen.
Early on in his career, Chris completed an apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation and then returned to his hometown of Charlottesville. From there he immediately began kitchen-hopping around town, taking in the culinary methods of each unique spot while learning and perfecting the various styles which gave him the foundation to let his creativity guide his recipes.
His current creative take? “Having grown up with it, I’m influenced heavily by Southern cuisine because of its origin. I would say that my current obsession is with the West African influence of what we consider to be quintessential to our area. So many of the foods that we’re familiar with and have adopted as our own come from countries like Nigeria…okra, collard greens, ‘Virginia peanuts’…none of these are native to this land. I want to cook dishes that harken to and respect this origin.”
But expect the unexpected from his take on Southern fare – smoked and braised pork belly, asparagus-goat cheese crepe, and pickled strawberries with a strawberry-ginger gastrique– was a crowd favorite at his last Charlottesville Duel Chef Showdown competition.
Chris brings more than just his Southern inspiration to Mount Ida as executive chef, drawing on a mix of styles and influences that reflect his decades of exploration in the kitchen.
