The Hachland Hill Cookbook
The Recipes & Legacy of Phila Hach
- The first book detailing the history of famed southern cook Phila Hach, and a beautiful homage to her work from her grandson, accomplished chef Carter Hach.
- Healthy home-cooked meals are the cornerstone of connecting with family and friends.
- With easy-to-find ingredients time-tested, delicious recipes, Hach provides a bridge for people who still think home-cooked meals are labor-intensive preparation and beyond their skills.
- A modern look at traditional southern cooking accented with international flavors from Phila and Carter's travel and tastes that will appeal across a wide audience.
- Refreshingly simplified and easy to follow recipes that take the intimidation out of cooking at home.
Carter Hach grew up cooking with his grandmother, the legendary Chef Phila Hach. He wrote his first recipe for chocolate nut drop cookies before he could actually spell the word, “recipe.” In 2015, through the University of Virginia, he studied creative writing and traveling-writing while visiting over 15 countries throughout Asia, South Asia and Africa. Both this trip and four years at Ole Miss played significant roles in developing his worldly pallet. He was introduced to many different dishes during his time abroad, more often than not taking notes so that he could develop his own recipes back home, marrying southern comfort food with other cultural influences. Now executive chef at Hachland Hill, he brings that same approach to his farm-to-table dining experience.
Hach completed his intensive studies of bread and pastry under Chef Christopher Ciresi at the French Culinary Institute or ICC in New York City, where he also worked on cakes under the tutorage of chefs Jürgen David and Kierin Baldwin. Ciresi had been the executive pastry chef at Manhattan’s legendary Plaza Hotel before joining the faculty at the ICC. This caliber of instructor shines through in Hach’s innovative breakfast pastries and desserts.
He continued to learn the staples of southern cooking from longtime employee at Hachland Hill, Ruth Williams. She started cooking with Phila Hach at the age of sixteen years old and retired in March of 2017 at 80. She continues to pop in for the occasional prep as she likes to stay busy and check in on things at the iconic dining inn that she helped to build.
All of Hach’s food is made from scratch and he uses only the best local ingredients from nearby farms, all within 30 miles of Hachland Hill.Carter has an allegiance to Hachland Hill’s past with a respect for the land and food that will continue to be a backbone of his work.