World Class Dining in the Mountains of Northeastern Georgia.
A review by Ralph E. Jarrells
Holden Oversoul may be the signature song of Widespread Panic, but it is also a symphony for the tastes buds directed by Chef Jamie Allred.
This isn’t a typical restaurant review because Holden Oversoul isn’t a typical restaurant. The center of Demorest, Georgia is where you will find Holden Oversoul and that’s where you will find Chef and Owner Jamie Allred. Jamie is as much of a iconoclast as his restaurant.
In my travels (48 states and 50 countries) I tried many fine restaurants but I can truly say Holden Oversoul is at the top of my list. Fine steakhouses in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago can’t hold a match to Jamie’s steaks. Great seafood restaurants in San Francisco, Seattle, Louisiana and Boston could learn from Jamie.
Farm-to-table, and ranch-to-table find a new definition when Jamie and his staff crank up the heat in the kitchen.
The Food
You write a restaurant review based on the food, so here goes. I have eaten at Holden Oversoul a number of times but my wife and I decided to celebrate a birthday there in preparation for this story. It was Thursday and the birthday boy ordered the Low Country Boil, the Thursday special. According to the menu you get 1/2 pound of large shrimp, Cajun sausage, red potatoes, fresh corn, served with Cajun butter. It is important to note that this wasn’t the birthday boy’s first Low Country Boil.
His comments were, “This is the best Low Country Boil I’ve ever had.” At the end of the meal he asked if he could get a loaf of bread so he could sop-up the great tasting juice.
My personal favorite is the filet mignon. The menu says “a 6 oz TeXga Black Angus filet cooked to your desired temperature, served on a bed of buttermilk-chive potatoes, summer squash and onions, bacon bourbon jam and creamy bourbon sauce.” The steak knife was totally unnecessary, it is so tender I could cut the 2″ thick steak with my fork.
There are many specialties like Meishan PorkChops, shrimp and scallops ceviche and pan roasted Springer Mountain Farm chicken breast with a touch of curry to choose from.
and Jamie’s twists on old favorites like BOLT (bacon, oyster, lettuce and tomato), TeXga rib eye and fried cat fish.
Even the “Starters” were special. Pork Rinds arrived still crackling from the fryer. I couldn’t leave this section without a mention of Pimento Cheese and Grits Bites. You might be tempted to over look this dish but DON’T, they were absolutely one of Holden Oversoul’s best culinary connections with the southern sensibility.
Local providers include TeXga Farms, Springer Mountain Chickens, all within 20 miles of the restaurant. Here’s what the owners of TeXga had to say about providing their special beef to Jamie and Holden Oversoul.
“We are honored to be part of Chef Jamie’s culinary masterpieces at Holden Oversoul. His creativity and respect for quality ingredients shine through in every plate, and we’re proud to see our farm’s beef showcased in such inspired ways. His passion for food and commitment to excellence turn our beef into experiences worth savoring. When you combine locally raised, top-quality beef with extraordinary local talent in the kitchen — and a team that treats every guest like family — you get dining experiences that linger long after the last bite. We love seeing the same dedication we pour into raising our cattle mirrored in Jamie’s kitchen. Every cut is handled with respect, every flavor layered with intention. We dine at Holden Oversoul because it’s farm-to-table in the truest sense, and you can taste that shared passion in every bite.
The Chef
Jamie is a delightful person to talk to and he obviously loves what he is doing, and the first step is to love the food. Executive Chef, Hillery Sterling a protégé of Bobby Flay, put it this way “Food is romantic. Soul. It’s about putting everything that is in your heart on the plate. Honestly, it’s about passion. It’s about love.” Jamie learned to love food at the heels of his mother, a home economics teacher in his native Winston-Salem, NC. Growing up, he said, food was his art class. So, it’s no surprise the he decided that food would be his profession. Formal training in Culinary Arts, in Asheville, NC, built of his developing foundation preparing for the chef he is today. He honed his skills at the prestigious, members only Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, NC. All preparing him for his role at the Lake Rabun Hotel, ownership of Fortify Kitchen and Bar, Clayton, GA and now Holden Oversoul.
“I’ve always chased flavors not formulas” is how he describes his passion for food and how he selects his offerings at Holden Oversoul. And, in my humble opinion, he has found the flavors, as I found them, at Jamie’s Holden Oversoul.
By the way, Jamie has been listed in Best Chefs America. And, he’s all about giving back. “We raised money to help build a beautiful, state-of-the-art, inclusive playground in Demorest where all kids, with all abilities can enjoy.” Jamie said his plan is to have four charitable fundraisers a year to help his community.
The Restaurant
Holden Oversoul and Jamie Allred are redefining fine casual dining as it is the center piece of the redefining town of Demorest, Georgia. His original plan was to build his restaurant on the site of his farm in Habersham County GA, a true farm to table concept. Costs, however, prevented that plan. So, Plan 2.0 was finding a site in his
current home of Cornelia, GA. That plan fell through and necessitated Plan 3.0, the former City Hall in Demorest, GA. Small by most accounts, 32 seats in the dining room and 9 seats at the bar plus 20 more in the covered garden. But, there are future plans to expand into the old post office building when they relocate. That’s how Holden Oversoul got it’s start on May 12th 2024. Rave reviews followed. 4.7 out of 5 on over 100 reviews on Google and 4.5 on Yelp shows how good Holden Oversoul is and that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Here are some of the comments diners included.
“The food at Holden Oversoul is absolutely amazing – fresh, flavorful and made with love.”
“Hands down the best service and food in Northeast Georgia. Dishes are inspired and soulful”
“The food is amazing and well worth the price.”
The Philosophy
Why Holden Oveersoul? That’s a question Jamie is asked quite often. It’s 1996 and a young Jamie Allred hears a song by an Athens, GA, recording group, Widespread Panic. That was the year that Jamie traveled to Myrtle Beach to hear the group. He was hooked on the group and their song Holden Oversoul. He has recreated that experience over 200 times since.
Holden Oversoul is “a folklore story about a southern farmer who experiences an spiritual transition in his life through his farming. For me it was a spiritual experience sort of like my transition between childhood and what I do now through food.” Jamie added, “I’m proud of the fact that JB (John Bell WSP founder, singer and guitarist) has been in here to eat a couple of times. It’s like a full circle moment for me.” If you ask John Bell what the song means, he will reply that he leaves that up to each person who hears the song to find their meaning.
The idea of “oversoul” is in transcendentalism and refers to a universal spirit or the collective consciousness that connects every living being. It’s a concept that Ralph Waldo Emerson explored in his essay, “The Over-Soul”. Jamie say of his customers that he wants their soul to be fed… a ZEN approach to food preparation which Jamie subscribes to. The physical and emotional condition of the chef and kitchen prep crew can be transmitted into the food and imparted to the people eating the food. So you won’t find a screaming chef like Hell’s kitchen in Jamie’s kitchen.
So, it all comes together at Holden Oversoul. World Class dinning in Demorest, Ga. in the idyllic mountains of northeast Georgia.
Holden Oversoul Kitchen and Oyster Bar
546 Georgia Street
Demorest, GA 30535
762-239-9099
This review was written by North Georgia FOOD Contributor, Ralph E. Jarrells. Author Ralph E. Jarrells is new to Northeast Georgia. Writing has been a passion and an important part of his career – TV news, advertising and marketing. It became more important in his retirement with the publication of his first of three novels in 2016. His fourth novel is at his publisher and he is working on number five. In addition to his writing, he is passionate about travel (48 states and 50 countries), good food and his ministry with widows and orphans.
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