Episode 31: Whitney Otawka, The Greyfield Inn (Cumberland Island, GA)

A short ferry ride from Fernandina Beach, Fla. takes you to the shores of Cumberland Island, Ga., just over the state line. This island's wild, untamed shoreline is broken up only by the dock, and once on land, you wander into a maritime forest of live oaks dripping Spanish moss, palm fronds, wild horses in the clearing in the distance, and deep sandy roads your only direction in. This is the magical setting of The Greyfield Inn, once a retreat for the Carnegie family and now an intimate inn where Executive Chef Whitney Otawka is once again at the helm, back from a stint on the mainland with Hugh Acheson projects, Top Chef Season 9 fame, and the Cochon 555 tour. She is focused, driven, and yet drawn to this place where the rhythm of the days are far different from that of the bright lights and big city. Still, she knows this is a season and not a sentence, and as a chef proves she is always thinking about the next dish, the next day.