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The event showcases Bas Rouge and 2024 James Beard award winning Chef Harley Peet’s commitment to honor fellow James Beard finalists through dynamic culinary partnerships that highlight the rich diversity shaping Mid-Atlantic food culture.

Peet and Bas Rouge welcomed five-time semi-finalist and 2024 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Finalist Kevin Tien alongside 2024/2025 James Beard Finalist, Pastry Chef Susan Bae of Washington, D.C.’s Moon Rabbit to Easton to kick off the dinner series.

Although the five-course meal did not have a theme per se, every dish honored the Mid-Atlantic seasonal produce through Peet and Tien’s unique and distinct cooking styles. For each chef, seasonal cooking and sustainable sourcing are baseline practices at their restaurants.

Peet and Tien met at the James Beard Awards in Chicago and hit it off from the jump. After a little over two decades in the industry, Peet said he now has an eye for picking out chefs who have something special.

“There’s Michelin Stars handed out all the time, but there’s special ones,� Peet said. “And Kevin and his team and his concept and everything he’s doing, it just struck a chord in Chicago. We struck a chord.�

Peet describes his culinary style as “all over the board� meshing Japanese, classic French, “redneck s--- from Tilghman Island,� and Americanized dishes with Italian twists. Tien described his style as “Cajun Asian.�

Tien’s Vietnamese background and Louisiana upbringing have shaped his approach to cooking. However, he said he didn’t truly embrace Vietnamese cuisine until the pandemic when he had a pivotal mindset shift. He said he stayed away from Vietnamese food because it was seldom regarded in fine dining, but when he changed his mindset and opened Moon Rabbit, the possibilities were endless.

“People come to our restaurant and they expect traditional Vietnamese food, and there’s none of that on the menu. So either they, like, really love what we’re doing or they hate what we’re doing,� Tien said. “And I’ll be honest, the people that hate what we’re doing are actually our own people, which can be a little frustrating.�

Tien said these days, he tries not to take it too personally and is focused on his and his team’s happiness and the ability to continue to foster relationships with other chefs and restaurants outside of D.C.

Peet and Tien said that historically, chefs were siloed and collaboration efforts like this were not a common occurrence, but this is beginning to change in the industry.

“I think the humanitarian side is super important as well, the chef has been brought out of the kitchen, and the customer’s been brought into the kitchen,� Peet said.

With the rising popularity of shows like “The Bear,� a movie-like version of chef’s berating their servers, yelling at kitchen staff and being all around hateful has become the picture of back-of-house life, but Peet said it’s not like that anymore.

“I’ve been in some kitchens with some old-school guys and, you know, it’s just not fun,� he said. Tien said he thinks this is partially because chefs have less ego and are respecting each other’s work more.

Tien and Peet certainly respect each other’s work, and it showed through each plate that was delivered to the table.

The Menu

The meal began with canapés by Bas Rouge which included an incredibly refreshing avocado agua fresca in a shot glass and local blue crab Causa, a cold, savory Peruvian-style potato dish.

This was followed by canapés by Moon Rabbit, a blend between French and Vietnamese flavors, which included Ga Ran Pâté, Vietnamese fried chicken, chicken presse and pâté, and Bo Luc Lac, a classic Vietnamese dish with marinated cubed beef and black pepper beef served in a crunchy tartlet.

Then guests were presented with fluffy taro milk bread served with an earthy culantro garlic butter followed by scallop crudo in a light yet acidic coconut sauce. The next plate was a beautiful display of octopus and Viet Cajun blood sausage with crunchy golden raisins and mostarda. Servers then presented guests with a gorgeous crab cake Wellington with a vegetable demi-glace in the middle.

For dessert, pastry chef Susan Bae made a Vietnamese coffee mousse that was almost too beautiful to eat. The stunning dessert tasted as good as it looked bursting with flavors of coffee, chocolate and citrus in every bite.

“It keeps things exciting too,� Tien said about the collaboration. “Sometimes I get really lost in the day-to-day grind of our restaurant, and I forget to take the blinders off, so this is also a good way for me to get away, even if it’s just for a day or two and reset mentally and go back really inspired.�