{"id":50245,"date":"2026-01-07T05:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/?p=50245"},"modified":"2026-01-06T13:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:07:44","slug":"amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"A Chef from Amsterdam Redefines Southern Cooking in Alabama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How cheese helps tell the story of The Hope Farm in Fairhope, Alabama<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Hope Farm’s chef, Emily Ackerman. Photograph courtesy of OVM Agency.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The interior of The Hope Farm blends contemporary design with Southern warmth, offering an airy, light-filled space that reflects the restaurant\u2019s farm-to-table ethos. Photographed by Mallory Scyphers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Fairhope, Alabama, food and community are inseparable. Along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a rare early morning phenomenon known as a jubilee brings flounder, crab, and shrimp rushing to the shallows. This spectacle occurs in only two bodies of water in the world: Mobile Bay and Tokyo Bay. In coastal Alabama, neighbors once rang bells and knocked on doors to rouse each other, gathering at the water\u2019s edge to share in the bay\u2019s sudden bounty. That same spirit of resourcefulness and connection can be found at The Hope Farm, a modern and sustainable farm-to-table restaurant that draws from a web of local growing methods to bring fresh food to its tables. Both jubilees and The Hope Farm honor what the land provides and turn it into something worth gathering around, a philosophy mirrored by the restaurant\u2019s newly promoted chef, Emily Ackerman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ackerman was raised in Amsterdam, where the rhythm of life was measured by freshness versus convenience. \u201cI grew up going to small neighborhood markets every week\u2014the meat market on Tuesday, the fish market another day,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThey were all independently owned, not like going into Publix and getting everything at once. That way of shopping shaped how I think about food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After high school, Ackerman moved to the US and graduated from the University of Colorado. She knew she didn\u2019t want to pursue graduate school and craved a different path. \u201cI wasn\u2019t on a culinary track at all,\u201d she remembers. \u201cI just knew I loved food. So, I decided to take a break, jump in, and see where I land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leap was as unpolished as it was earnest. She walked into her first restaurant interview wearing a pantsuit, blissfully unaware of the kitchen\u2019s unwritten rules of attire. \u201cThe GM said, \u2018There\u2019s someone here who wants a kitchen job,\u2019 and the chef looked at me like, \u2018Are you sure? She\u2019s dressed up\u2014what is she wearing?\u2019\u201d Ackerman laughs. \u201cI had no idea. I told them, \u2018I want to learn it all. I don\u2019t have any bad habits because I don\u2019t know anything yet\u2014so just teach me everything and we\u2019ll go from there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That drive carried her forward when she arrived at The Hope Farm nearly three years ago. She started as a line cook, but four months later when the restaurant needed someone to take over pastry, she jumped in. With no formal training, Ackerman taught herself to hand-laminate croissants, build sourdough starters, and run a bread program from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told them, \u2018I want to learn it all. I don\u2019t have any bad habits because I don\u2019t know anything yet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pastry became her launchpad, a place where discipline met determination. \u201cIf you\u2019re off by a single gram, it can change everything,\u201d she says. The rigor of pastry gave her structure; the freedom of savory cooking gave her passion. Over time, she learned to balance both\u2014a duality that now defines her approach to crafting menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That balance is reflected in how inspiration flows at The Hope Farm. Working closely with farm manager Dominique Kline, Ackerman plans dishes around the garden\u2019s rhythms. Her goal is to craft food that feels familiar yet unexpected. \u201cYou want to give someone a memory, something they recognize, but in a way they\u2019ve never had before,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheese certainly plays a special part in that storytelling. She loves Shelburne Farms cheddar and Sweet Grass Dairy Asher Blue, and she speaks about cheese with the same reverence she has for the garden. \u201cCooking with cheese is easy\u2014it\u2019s comfort food,\u201d she says. \u201cBut to appreciate cheese as it was intended, without melting it or hiding it, is something else. That\u2019s when you taste its true character.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On The Hope Farm menu, cheese might be paired simply with housemade crackers, pickled blueberries, or the farm\u2019s pepper jelly to allow the cheese\u2019s flavor to shine. But sometimes it takes a playful turn, such as the brown sugar-dusted br\u00fbl\u00e9ed goat cheese currently starring on the Farm Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Hope Farm\u2019s grazing board features housemade crackers, sourdough, and pepper jelly, with charcuterie, pickled blueberries grown on property, honey-roasted figs, and cheeses that include Sweet Grass Dairy Asher Blue, br\u00fbl\u00e9ed Ca\u00f1a de Cabra, and Shelburne Farms 2-Year Aged Cheddar. Photographed by Mallory Scyphers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Certain dishes have become touchstones. The burrata, paired with basil paint, charred strawberry-shallot jam, and house-made focaccia, is a perennial favorite, reimagined through the seasons but always circling back to its original form. The Farm Board, too, has anchored the menu since opening. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of an expression capsule of what The Hope Farm does,\u201d Ackerman says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For out-of-state diners who arrive with the assumption that Southern food is always fried and heavy, the restaurant offers a gentle but striking counterpoint. For instance, the short rib and grits dish is rooted in Southern tradition but reimagined with aged gouda and a boiled peanut ragu. \u201cShrimp and grits will always have a place,\u201d Ackerman notes, \u201cbut there\u2019s a way to reinvent them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hope Farm is more than just a restaurant; it is a community experience. Guests are encouraged to walk the gardens, pick blueberries from the bushes, and see firsthand where their food comes from. For Ackerman, this connection is as important as the food itself. \u201cWhen you see it growing right there, and then it\u2019s on your plate\u2014that\u2019s powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Guests can dine among seasonal fruits and vegetables. Photographed by Mallory Scyphers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Fairhope, Alabama, food and community are inseparable. Along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a rare early morning phenomenon known as a jubilee brings flounder, crab, and shrimp rushing to the shallows. This spectacle occurs in only two bodies of water in the world: Mobile Bay and Tokyo Bay. In coastal Alabama, neighbors once rang bells and knocked on doors to rouse each other, gathering at the water\u2019s edge to share in the bay\u2019s sudden bounty. That same spirit of resourcefulness and connection can be found at The Hope Farm, a modern and sustainable farm-to-table restaurant that draws from a web of local growing methods to bring fresh food to its tables. Both jubilees and The Hope Farm honor what the land provides and turn it into something worth gathering around, a philosophy mirrored by the restaurant\u2019s newly promoted chef, Emily Ackerman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":50261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3386],"tags":[],"coauthors":[33807],"class_list":["post-50245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chefs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Chef from Amsterdam Redefines Southern Cooking in Alabama | culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Fairhope, Alabama, food and community are inseparable. 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Both jubilees and The Hope Farm honor what the land provides and turn it into something worth gathering around, a philosophy mirrored by the restaurant\u2019s newly promoted chef, Emily Ackerman.","og_url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/","og_site_name":"culture: the word on cheese","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/culturecheesemag","article_published_time":"2026-01-07T10:34:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1067,"url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Winter2025_HopeFarm_PC-Mallory-Scyphers_4-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mallory Scyphers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@culturecheese","twitter_site":"@culturecheese","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mallory Scyphers","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/"},"author":{"name":"Mallory Scyphers","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fe9ecd802645cddfd5fc9148358428d"},"headline":"A Chef from Amsterdam Redefines Southern Cooking in Alabama","datePublished":"2026-01-07T10:34:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/"},"wordCount":994,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Winter2025_HopeFarm_PC-Mallory-Scyphers_4-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Chef's Dish"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/","name":"A Chef from Amsterdam Redefines Southern Cooking in Alabama | culture: the word on cheese","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Winter2025_HopeFarm_PC-Mallory-Scyphers_4-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-07T10:34:00+00:00","description":"In Fairhope, Alabama, food and community are inseparable. Along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a rare early morning phenomenon known as a jubilee brings flounder, crab, and shrimp rushing to the shallows. This spectacle occurs in only two bodies of water in the world: Mobile Bay and Tokyo Bay. In coastal Alabama, neighbors once rang bells and knocked on doors to rouse each other, gathering at the water\u2019s edge to share in the bay\u2019s sudden bounty. That same spirit of resourcefulness and connection can be found at The Hope Farm, a modern and sustainable farm-to-table restaurant that draws from a web of local growing methods to bring fresh food to its tables. Both jubilees and The Hope Farm honor what the land provides and turn it into something worth gathering around, a philosophy mirrored by the restaurant\u2019s newly promoted chef, Emily Ackerman. In Fairhope, Alabama, food and community are inseparable. Along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, a rare early morning phenomenon known as a jubilee brings flounder, crab, and shrimp rushing to the shallows. This spectacle occurs in only two bodies of water in the world: Mobile Bay and Tokyo Bay. In coastal Alabama, neighbors once rang bells and knocked on doors to rouse each other, gathering at the water\u2019s edge to share in the bay\u2019s sudden bounty. That same spirit of resourcefulness and connection can be found at The Hope Farm, a modern and sustainable farm-to-table restaurant that draws from a web of local growing methods to bring fresh food to its tables. Both jubilees and The Hope Farm honor what the land provides and turn it into something worth gathering around, a philosophy mirrored by the restaurant\u2019s newly promoted chef, Emily Ackerman.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/recipes\/chefs\/amsterdam-chef-restaurant-alabama-hope-farm\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Recipes","item":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/category\/recipes\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Chef's Dish","item":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/category\/recipes\/chefs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"A Chef from Amsterdam Redefines Southern Cooking in Alabama"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/","name":"culture: the word on cheese","description":"Culture, America's magazine for cheese lovers, delivers stories about cheeses, cheesemakers, travel to gorgeous cheese regions, and practical tips on buying, presenting, and cooking with cheese.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#organization","name":"Culture Cheese Magazine","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Culture-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Culture-Logo.jpg","width":545,"height":545,"caption":"Culture Cheese Magazine"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/culturecheesemag","https:\/\/x.com\/culturecheese","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/culturecheese\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fe9ecd802645cddfd5fc9148358428d","name":"Mallory Scyphers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/3c8603cf905afd226b335de5ed2adce1","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Entertaining2023_EditLetter_Mallory2-scaled-e1707856802413-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Entertaining2023_EditLetter_Mallory2-scaled-e1707856802413-150x150.jpg","caption":"Mallory Scyphers"},"description":"Mallory Scyphers is culture's Executive Content Director and has been with the company since 2019. She lives on Mobile Bay with her husband, two young daughters, one old Shetland Sheepdog, one rambunctious golden retriever, and one calico cat. Her favorite cheeses are alpine styles and mineral-y blues.","url":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/author\/mallory-scyphers\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50245"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culturecheesemag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=50245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}