Wilder at Windy Hill Farm and Preserve Named a Michelin-Recommended Restaurant
October 25, 2026

This Loudon restaurant inside a 650-acre preserve on the Tennessee River is one of 31 restaurants newly recommended across the American South this year

Wilder at Windy Hill Farm and Preserve has been named a MICHELIN-Recommended restaurant in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide American South. The MICHELIN Guide announced the selection on October 21, 2026, at a ceremony at The Pinnacle in Nashville. Wilder is one of 31 restaurants newly Recommended across the region this year.

Wilder's inclusion in the MICHELIN Guide reflects the quality of its cooking as judged by MICHELIN's anonymous inspectors.

Wilder is led by Executive Chef Ben Warwick, who was raised in East Tennessee. His menus follow the seasons and draw on the farm's garden, just steps from the dining room, along with farmers, producers, and artisans from the region. The restaurant is named for the Wilder coal camp, a small community on Virginia's Clinch River and the boyhood home of Windy Hill's patriarch, George "Big George" Sampson. The name honors the families whose traditions shaped Appalachian cooking.

"This belongs to the whole team, from the kitchen and dining room to the gardeners and the farmers who get food to our back door every week,” says Ben Warwick, Executive Chef at Windy Hill Farm and Preserve. “People tell us the food is the star, but out here the Land is the star. Our job is to take what this land and the growers around us give us, treat it with respect, and send people back out to explore. I'm proud of the team we've built, and it means a great deal to have that recognized.”

Fresh produce in the WIndy Hill garden

Wilder's kitchen sits inside a 650-acre wildlife preserve. The Brewington family of Knoxville has transformed Windy Hill from a commercial cattle farm to a wildlife and recreational refuge. In 2014, Steven Brewington began converting former cattle pastures to native warm-season grasses and committed more and more acreage to support wildlife and protect the soil along the Tennessee River. Windy Hill welcomed its first guests in 2018 for guided upland quail hunts. Over the next few years, Wilder, the Watchhouse, the Water Tower Cabins, and the Guest Lodge followed, and in 2022, Windy Hill opened as a year-round, all-inclusive resort. Today, more than 95% of its 650 acres is native wildlife habitat, managed with prescribed fire. That land shapes what Wilder serves. Staff forage on the property, limit food waste through preservation, dehydration, and fermentation techniques, and work with small regional producers.

"When our family committed to stewarding this land, we envisioned a place where people could slow down and enjoy East Tennessee. Wilder has become one of the best ways to share that Vision. We've invested in the people here because we believe in where this concept and team are headed, and I'm proud of Chef Ben and all of our team for proving it. We're grateful to everyone who has come to the table here," says Steven Brewington, Owner of Windy Hill Farm and Preserve.

Wilder serves three meals a day to overnight guests at Windy Hill, all included in the stay. The restaurant is open to the public for lunch Thursday through Saturday and dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with reservations on OpenTable. Wilder's current tasting experience, Watershed, is a 10-course menu that follows water from the Appalachian highlands to the Gulf.

About Windy Hill Farm and Preserve

A sanctuary where adventure meets restoration, Windy Hill Farm and Preserve is an all-inclusive retreat and upland preserve set on 650 acres along the Tennessee River in Loudon, Tennessee. Opened in July 2022, the property offers 18 accommodations across three distinct styles — The Lodge, Water Tower Cabins, and the private Farmhouse — alongside daily meals at Wilder, the 2026 MICHELIN-Recommended garden-to-table restaurant led by Executive Chef Ben Warwick.

Wilder's menu is inspired by Appalachia and shaped by what's growing in the garden steps from the kitchen door, complemented by thoughtfully sourced meat, fish, and game. Beyond the table, guests have access to guided quail hunting across 12 expertly managed fields, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, mountain biking, archery, seasonal beekeeping, hands-on culinary experiences, and wellness programming, making Windy Hill an equally compelling destination for both the seasoned hunter and the traveler simply looking to disconnect. For more information, visit windyhillfarmtn.com.