Guests enjoyed bottles of wine from the Reid’s wine list, or grabbed bottles from the well-stocked marketplace. Photo by Peter Taylor

Chef Ryan Allen became executive chef of Reid’s Fine Foods in SouthPark earlier this year, although he’s already worked for the company two other times in his career. Photo by Peter Taylor

Guests listen in as Chef Ryan Allen is introduced at Unpretentious Palate’s second Meet the Chef dinner. This series asks chefs to create a menu with dishes that represent different times in their lives. Photo by Peter Taylor

Chef Ryan Allen’s first bite, chicken liver pâté with a cilantro waffle and peanut butter sauce, was inspired by his love of Eggo waffles and peanut butter. He upgraded his go-to dish for the dinner’s amuse bouche. Photo by Peter Taylor

As each course is brought out, diners get to learn a little bit more about the hosting chef. Allen, a Georgia native, shared the story of his grandfather’s love of R.C. Cola, which led him to his first course. Photo by Peter Taylor

As each course is introduced, UP editor Kristen Wile interviews the chef about that course’s inspiration. Guests are encouraged to ask their own questions, too. Photo by Peter Taylor

Guests get to know their tablemates with icebreaker questions on name tags. This time, they were asked to share a dish that represents their home state. Photo by Peter Taylor

The first course featured fried catfish over spaghetti squash as a modern take on Southern catfish and spaghetti. It was accompanied by an R.C. Cola-strawberry reduction inspired by Allen’s late grandfather, who wouldn’t drink any other soda. Photo by Peter Taylor

Celeb spotting! Local food personality Jason Ackerman of Scallionpancake gets to know his neighbor in between courses. Photo by Peter Taylor

The catfish was deliciously crunchy, with a cornmeal crust, and also included a tomato vinegar. Photo by Peter Taylor

Tickets to Meet the Chef dinners go quickly, and are made available to subscribers first (and at a lower ticket price). Want to attend the next one? Subscribe to UP. Photo by Peter Taylor

For the second course, chef Allen was tasked with cooking a dish that represented a restaurant or chef that had a big impact on his life. He chose a 62-degree egg to represent how his executive chef position at littleSpoon changed his career and a corn hollandaise made famous by Thomas Keller. Photo by Peter Taylor

Allen explained to the audience that chefs such as Thomas Keller and David Chang inspire him. Keller was one of the first chefs to introduce Allen to a more modern, refined cooking style. Chang’s definition of American cuisine as a melting pot is another perspective that Allen was moved by. Photo by Peter Taylor

Allen’s love of using local products was evident on the third course, a dish that represents his present. As he’s matured, he says he’s learned to put less on a plate to let the ingredients shine through. The catfish was served on top of tomatoes and pickled onions. Photo by Peter Taylor

Mr. Unpretentious Palate Jon Wile hides a cake from Wentworth & Fenn in the supply room. The dinner fell on chef Allen’s birthday. Photo by Peter Taylor

The final course of the night is a look at the future. For this course, Allen wanted to take an “ugly delicious” food and present it in a more high-end way. The resulting dish was a tender pot roast with sweet onion whipped cream and collard kimchi. Photo by Peter Taylor

Guests give a round of applause to the kitchen staff, who put out a fantastic meal. Photo by Peter Taylor

Chef Allen is surprised with a birthday cake in Reid’s colors as everyone in the dining room sang Happy Birthday. Photo by Peter Taylor

Chef Allen celebrates with his cake after a successful night. Happy Birthday, chef! Photo by Peter Taylor