Canyon Grill chef learns from School of Hard Knocks
Rising Fawn, Ga. – Johnny Holland does not have a certificate from an
esteemed culinary school showcased in a fancy frame. The executive chef
of Canyon Grill possesses something he deems more valuable than any
classroom education could have provided – practical experience
cultivated from climbing the ladder in the kitchen of this renowned
restaurant on Lookout Mountain.
Not far from Cloudland Canyon State Park, Canyon Grill’s location is
remote – so remote that most guests drive at least a half-hour along a
scenic road on the back side of Lookout Mountain. First-timers are told
to recognize the building from the cars in the gravel parking lot and
its proximity to the adjacent New Salem Mountain Market, an old-time
corner grocer.
Still, Canyon Grill is packed, mostly with out-of-towners, on a nightly
basis with guests savoring choices like Slash n’ Burn Catfish, Ground
Mignon, Whole Rainbow Trout, Alaskan Red King Salmon and Rack of Lamb.
Owner Layton Haygood credits Holland with keeping the dishes consistent, and
longtime guests returning to Lookout Mountain time and time again.
“Johnny has a great attention to detail, and he is committed to
maintaining consistency in each dish that he prepares,” Haygood said.
“This results in a memorable dining experience for each guest, which
turns first-time customers into return customers.”
To Holland, Canyon Grill is home. Raised on nearby Brookdale Mountain
in Bledsoe County, the chef lives on Lookout Mountain and has worked at
Canyon Grill since he was in high school, starting in the kitchen
tackling any task that was asked of him.
“The only way to learn is through hands-on experience,” he said. “I
developed a passion for life in the kitchen. It’s exciting, and there
is something different every day.”
“I tell people I graduated from the Chuck Haygood School of Hard
Knocks,” Holland said with a laugh (Chuck is Lawton Haygood’s nickname).
“He would taste my food, throw it away and make me prepare it again
over and over until it was just right. Trust me, you learn quickly with
Chuck.”
Slash ‘n Burn Catfish is one of Canyon Grill’s signature items. The whole
bone-in catfish is stuffed with ginger, garlic and jalapenos into thin
slashes, cut into thin slashes, dredged in flour, deep fried and then
topped with black bean soup.
“Our menu is definitely innovative,” Holland said. “That is what makes it so exciting to work in an environment like this.”
Owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Lawton and Karen
Haygood, Canyon Grill was a 40-seat restaurant when it opened in 1996.
Today, it has expanded to 142 seats. Named after Cloudland Canyon State
Park, and Haygood’s cooking technique, Canyon Grill features fresh
seafood flown in from a purveyor in Boston.
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