About Us

We are Danny Mellman and Michelle Moran – a chef and a writer who moved to Blue Ridge, Georgia from the east coast of Florida in 2008. We had been visiting here for years and had a second home in the Aska Adventure Area. We loved it. Our kids loved it. Our animals loved it. We used to joke that our dogs would come to life as we approached the town on the drive up from Florida, heads out the window, tails wagging, joy on their faces. During the drive back to Florida, their depression became progressively deeper until, ultimately, we would have to carry our basset hound, Colby, out of the car into the house.

That’s how quickly it happened. We knew we had to move here, and that’s when our first Appalacian dream was born—Harvest on Main. We certainly had no idea the restaurant we envisioned would be so well-received.

It was 2009, and the city had just approved the sale of beer and wine – but we were hooked and ready to serve the community great, fresh ingredients regardless of whether the town changed its long-standing prohibition laws. Our first thought was that Michelle would continue to write and lead her editorial director roles from a little office in the city. She thought Danny would only need her to help with marketing and a few busy lunch and dinner rushes. They thought it would take a little time until a sit-down, more upscale restaurant would find its footing in the region. We were blessed to have a more extraordinary reception and faster growth than we imagined. As our quest for farm fresh products continued, it was more difficult to find farmers than we initially thought. So, we began to think about more space for our own gardens and possibly a teaching garden where Michelle could spend her time passing on her love of creating with kids. We purchased a little property downtown and turned it into The Cook’s Farm, where we started our annual Summer Kids Farm-to-Fork Camp. The camp ran for ten years at our 25-acre farm homestead, where we moved in 2014.

We could not stop growing things. Danny’s love for designing menus and creating new concepts led to the opening of Masseria Kitchen+Bar in 2014 and The Blue Ridge Fry Shop in 2016. In 2018, we embarked on another project, Blue Smoke World Famous Barbecue, up the hill from Harvest on Main. In 2017, we grew our family outside the city borders, adopting two well-established and well-loved restaurants. Morganton-based Cucina Rustica and La Pizzeria at Cucina Rustica.

We continue to travel the world. We haven’t met a community we didn’t love. Our wanderlust is about getting to know the people and the culture of the places we visit – primarily through food. We have expanded our operation to Belize and Sicily. In 2018, Michelle began splitting her time between Blue Ridge and Belize – the perfect combination of salt, sand, snow, and sunshine – building and selling a resort.

Michelle designs tour packages with guests, and our management team oversees guests’ travel and stays at two waterfront vacation units. In 2023, we purchased a small farm and home in Chiaramonte, Sicily, launching Lit’l Pond Adventures—truly authentic cultural and culinary tours of this part of Italian we love. Michelle acquired her Travel Certification in 2024, allowing us to better curate our clients’ adventures in Italy and Belize, as well as destinations we are personally familiar with around the world.

From innovative food introductions to creating a sense of place where our guests can come and not only dine but also celebrate our passion for learning about the world through food, The Cook’s Farm remains our home operations in Blue Ridge, where Danny dreams up incredible culinary meals with our Table 4/10 Supper Club, and Michelle dreams up plans for our next adventures.

We look forward to many more years of setting a place at the table for you wherever we may be.

Cheers!

Danny Mellman & Michelle Moran

Lit’l Pond Hospitality

Thank you!