Hugh Acheson

Hugh Acheson (born November 5, 1971) is a Canadian-born chef and restaurateur. He has owned four restaurants in Georgia, and serves as a judge on the reality cooking competition show Top Chef, and as an Iron Chef on Iron Chef Canada.

Early life

Acheson was born on November 5, 1971, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The youngest of four children, Acheson has three older sisters. Acheson's parents divorced when he was young, He subsequently worked at other well-known Ottawa restaurants, before moving to Montreal, Quebec, to attend Concordia University. At Henry Burger, Acheson learned about French cuisine, wine and etiquette under chef Rob McDonald. Later in the 1990s, Acheson moved with his wife from Ottawa to her hometown of Athens, Georgia In the following years, his endeavors have included:

A second Athens restaurant, The National, opened in 2007. Acheson opened The Florence in Savannah, Georgia, in Spring 2014. The Italian restaurant sourced local vegetables and seafood while serving pasta and pizza before closing in June 2017. In 2015, Acheson opened Spiller Park, a coffee shop in Ponce City Market, with Dale Donchey, who ran the coffee program at Empire State South. Spiller Park has continued to grow, with five locations open or in the works as of Spring 2024, though Acheson is no longer involved. In January 2018, Acheson opened Achie's at the Omni Hotel at The Battery Atlanta, part of the Braves stadium complex, serving "riffs on traditional Southern fare as well as dishes such as poutine, burgers, and ballpark snacks on game days." It closed in November of the same year. On February 2, 2021, Acheson's latest culinary business, Ovide, opened its doors as Hotel Effie's signature restaurant in Sandestin, Florida. The restaurant is a fusion of coastal cuisine with a French influence.

In April 2024, Acheson announced his was selling his only remaining Georgia restaurant, Five and Ten, to long-time partner Peter Dale.

Television In 2011, Acheson competed on season 3 of Top Chef Masters, a reality competition show in which experienced celebrity chefs compete against each other in various challenges. He was eliminated in the first round, but subsequently returned in the second episode after another chef withdrew. He ultimately finished in fifth place out of twelve competitors. He was then invited to become a judge on season 9 of Top Chef, of which Top Chef Masters is a spin-off. Top Chef is a cooking competition show in which lesser-known chefs compete and are judged by more experienced chefs. Acheson also served as a judge on season 10 of Top Chef, which ran November 2012 to February 2013. In 2013, he returned as a judge on Top Chef season 11 and as host and judge of "Battle of the Sous Chefs", a component of season 5 of Top Chef Masters.

In 2020 he appeared as a judge on the Food Network Canada competition series Wall of Chefs. In 2025, it was announced that Acheson would be one of the judges for MasterChef Canada.

Books Acheson published his first cookbook, A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen, in 2011. Hugh published his second cookbook, entitled Pick a Pickle: 50 recipes for Pickles, Relishes and Fermented Snacks, in the spring of 2014. His third cookbook was released in the spring of 2015 under the title The Broad Fork. In the fall of 2017, his fourth cookbook was published, The Chef and the Slow Cooker. In his fifth cookbook, Sous Vide: Better Home Cooking, published in October 2019, Acheson introduces many home cooks to the sous vide method of food preparation with 90 recipes to choose from.

Awards

Acheson is a James Beard Foundation award winner as both a chef and cookbook author. He has been nominated nine times, with two wins.

Semifinalist, Outstanding Chef 2018 - Five and Ten Nominee, Outstanding Restaurateur 2019 Winner, American Cooking 2012 - Best American Cookbook - A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented For Your Kitchen Nominee, Best Chefs 2007 Nominee, Best Chefs 2008 Nominee, Best Chefs 2009 Nominee, Best Chefs 2010 Nominee, Best Chefs 2011 Winner, Best Chefs 2012 - Southeast - Five and Ten quietly in 2017, with Acheson later moving to New York City.

Books

Sous Vide: Better Home Cooking The Chef and the Slow Cooker A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen Pick a Pickle: 50 Recipes for Pickles, Relishes, and Fermented Snacks The Broad Fork: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits How to Cook: Building Blocks and 100 Simple Recipes for a Lifetime of Meals