The world’s finest teaching restaurant – a truly unique and elevated experience where education meets experiential dining.
We are honored to share that 1856 – Culinary Residence has been recognized in The MICHELIN Guide 2025.
This remarkable achievement marks 1856 – Culinary Residence as the first restaurant in Auburn to receive this distinction, and the first teaching restaurant in the United States to ever be recognized in The MICHELIN Guide 2025.
At 1856 – Culinary Residence, every dish, service, and detail is the result of collaboration between our talented culinary team, expert sommeliers, front-of-house staff, and the exceptional students of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management. We are also proud to partner with Auburn University’s Horticulture Department to source fresh, locally grown produce, vegetables, and flowers, bringing a true farm-to-table connection to every guest experience.
This recognition is a testament to their passion, creativity, and dedication to excellence in every aspect of what we do.
We are deeply proud of what this moment represents, not just for our team, but for Auburn University, The Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, and the future of culinary education.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey. We look forward to continuing to share our story, one plate at a time.
We are honored to share that 1856 – Culinary Residence has been recognized in The MICHELIN Guide 2025.
This remarkable achievement marks 1856 – Culinary Residence as the first restaurant in Auburn to receive this distinction, and the first teaching restaurant in the United States to ever be recognized in The MICHELIN Guide 2025.
At 1856 – Culinary Residence, every dish, service, and detail is the result of collaboration between our talented culinary team, expert sommeliers, front-of-house staff, and the exceptional students of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management. We are also proud to partner with Auburn University’s Horticulture Department to source fresh, locally grown produce, vegetables, and flowers, bringing a true farm-to-table connection to every guest experience.
This recognition is a testament to their passion, creativity, and dedication to excellence in every aspect of what we do.
We are deeply proud of what this moment represents, not just for our team, but for Auburn University, The Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, and the future of culinary education.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey. We look forward to continuing to share our story, one plate at a time.
Chef JOËL ANTUNES
Chef in Residence
As our Chef in Residence, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise. His experience ranges from Executive Chef at The Oriental Bangkok, known as the #1 hotel in the world during his tenure, opening Les Saveurs in London, where he earned a Michelin Star, and leading the award-winning Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead.
Chef Antunes also opened his own restaurant in Atlanta, Joël, for which he earned a James Beard Best Chef of the Southeast Award. He later served as the opening Executive Chef at the historic luxury Capital Hotel and its restaurant, One Eleven, in Little Rock, AR. In 2022, he returned to France and served most recently as the Chef in Residence for Forbes Travel Guide’s Le Logis, an intimate luxury hotel in Cognac, France.
Master Sommelier in Residence
Master Sommelier Thomas Price has spent the last 35 years working in some of Seattle’s most prominent restaurants, including his own. Shortly after obtaining his Master Sommelier certificate in 2012, Price joined Jackson Family Fine Wines as National Director of Wine Education, in addition to working with Auburn University’s Hospitality Management program as a visiting sommelier over the last eight years.
Chef Joël Antunes, our Chef in Residence, works alongside our Ithaka Hospitality Partners team as well as Auburn University’s culinary science faculty to create a unique restaurant experience for both our guests and our students. We provide an ever-changing culinary experience for students as well as clientele in a beautiful and intimate environment. Our vegetables, produce and herbs come from an operational rooftop garden, created and managed by Auburn University’s Horticulture Program, and looking out over our iconic Samford Hall.
Chef Joël Antunes, our Chef in Residence, works alongside our Ithaka Hospitality Partners team as well as Auburn University’s culinary science faculty to create a unique restaurant experience for both our guests and our students. We provide an ever-changing culinary experience for students as well as clientele in a beautiful and intimate environment. Our vegetables, produce and herbs come from an operational rooftop garden, created and managed by Auburn University’s Horticulture Program, and looking out over our iconic Samford Hall.
A roof-to-table experience, 1856 – Culinary Residence’s menu is shaped by the produce grown on the rooftop garden of the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center. Seasonally-inspired and rotating often, the menu is set by our Chef In Residence, Joël Antunes, and executed by our culinary team and students of the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management.
Chef Joël Antunes, our Chef in Residence, works alongside our Ithaka Hospitality Partners team as well as Auburn University’s culinary science faculty to create a unique restaurant experience for both our guests and our students. We provide an ever-changing culinary experience for students as well as clientele in a beautiful and intimate environment. Our vegetables, produce and herbs come from an operational rooftop garden, created and managed by Auburn University’s Horticulture Program, and looking out over our iconic Samford Hall.
Chef Joël Antunes, our Chef in Residence works alongside our Ithaka Hospitality Partners team, Auburn University’s Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management’s Culinary Science Faculty and Auburn University’s Horticulture team to create the world’s finest teaching restaurant – a truly unique and elevated experience where education meets experiential dining.
Elevated spaces for the most special of occasions. 1856 – Culinary Residence has three unique options for your next event.
Elevated spaces for the most special of occasions. 1856 has three unique options for your next event.
