Karl Gorline

Chef Karl Gorline's culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in a modern Alpine sensibility, yet distinctively interpreted through the lens of Southern American ingredients and culture. He aims to explore the vast and dense food traditions of the Alpine region—spanning countries like France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria—and fuse them with local produce and flavors. His ethos is driven by insatiable curiosity and a relentless pursuit of technical mastery, striving to create a high-end, Michelin-aspiring dining experience. Gorline emphasizes a 'waste-nothing' philosophy, evident in dishes like his hay-smoked duck, where kitchen by-products are transformed into elegant accompanying elements. Ingredient sourcing is paramount, with a significant reliance on Avize's own 700-acre (or 800-acre) Bremen Farms in Georgia. He also dutifully acknowledges other local Georgia growers, such as Love Is Love and Pearson farms, and purveyors like Pine Street Market, ensuring a connection to the regional agricultural landscape. His overarching vision is to offer a cohesive, refined menu that, while seasonal, maintains a core set of dishes that embody the spirit of the Alps, all while delivering a hybrid of high cuisine with warm, down-to-earth Southern hospitality. This approach allows guests to embark on a 'discovery'—a literal translation of 'Avize'—through intricate flavors and traditions. Chef Gorline's technical style is marked by a deep commitment to refined techniques and intricate compositions, yielding dishes that are both complex and harmoniously cohesive. He employs methods such as fermentation, evidenced in his renowned fermented carrot Bolognese and the use of fermented blueberries in his venison tartare, alongside dry-aging techniques for proteins like his 10-day dry-aged hay-smoked duck. Furthermore, he crafts house-made pastas, bread, and butter, showcasing fundamental culinary mastery. His approach to flavor and plating is an artful blend of Alpine inspiration with unexpected Southern nuances. Dishes are characterized by delicate balances, unique ingredient pairings, and a focus on natural elements like pine, yeast, and botanical essences. Plating is meticulous, creating visual 'wow' factors, such as his interpretation of the Arpege egg served on a golden twig stand or the 'dinner theater' of a dry-aged duck crown presented tableside. Expect elegant textures and bold, yet balanced, flavor profiles. His most legendary signature dishes include: * **Gorline’s take on the famous Arpege egg:** A deconstructed classic featuring butternut squash custard, pine, and yeast. * **Fermented Carrot Bolognese:** A creative vegan pasta dish tossed with house-made cavatelli. * **Hay-Smoked Duck Breast:** Dry-aged for 10 days, served with a habanada cherry duck jus, fermented carrot puree, rutabaga, and confit fingerling potatoes, often accompanied by a braised duck leg croquette and beef tartare tartlet. * **Poulet Grenobloise (or North Georgia mountain trout “grenobloise”):** A rustic preparation with browned butter, cauliflower, capers, lemon, and croutons. * **Flammkuchen:** An Alsatian flatbread topped with fromage blanc, onions, and bacon (with vegetarian mushroom bacon substitute available). * **Dandelion Greens Salad:** Featuring a knockout truffle vinaigrette and Georgia Satsuma oranges. * **Venison Tartare:** A composition of minced game meat bound with walnut ketchup, buckwheat, fermented blueberries, beech mushrooms, lemon sorrel, and flecks of dehydrated, smoked olive oil. * **Foie Gras Parfait:** A rich mousse of foie gras, rabbit and duck liver, topped with a gelee of dandelion root tea, ice wine, persimmon vinegar, cubed persimmon, ponzu gelee dots, lemon thyme, and edible flowers, set in a sourdough tart shell. * **Mont Blanc:** A unique dessert spin on the classic, incorporating brown butter, banana, chestnut-flavored Alpine liqueur, and coconut.

Career

• Chef-Owner/Co-founder at Avize, Atlanta