Best Fest Dinner No. 1: Chef Danielle Anderson at Ackerhurst Barn
Bill Sitzmann / / 4 min read
On September 20, for Dinner No. 1, the text pointed north to Bennington, to The Barn at Ackerhurst Dairy Farm.
A room with a past
The barn went up in 1935, when Ackerhurst was the largest operating dairy in Nebraska. The cows were gone by the 1960s, and for years the building sat worn down, a place where locals threw parties among the hay. Today it’s fully restored, on the state’s historic registry, and holds the title of the largest barn in Nebraska.
“It’s a piece of Nebraska history,” says Bonnie Carolyn, who co-manages the barn with Dee Hankins. She says Bennington families still stop in to share stories: a grandfather who milked cows here, summers spent baling hay. Most weekends the barn hosts weddings. This night, it hosted a secret.
The host, and the show
Leading the night was Tay Westberry, back as host for Best Fest’s second season. The MasterChef alum isn’t just the emcee. This season is his show. Tay hosts Setting The Table, the podcast series that sits down with each chef, and he’s the through-line of the micro-documentaries that introduce them.
Best Fest is a FASTER Studios production, and the dinners themselves are part of the show. Every Best Fest dinner is shot on multiple cameras, and each one becomes its own recap film. The guests at the table aren’t just watching the story. They’re in it.
The reveal: Chef Danielle Anderson
The night opened with a cocktail hour from 5 to 6, a room of strangers trading guesses about who was cooking. At 6, the doors opened on a dark, moody room: a long table dressed in white hydrangeas and woven chargers, and one figure standing under a spotlight. The tablescape was the work of Becca Heinert of Hosted By Bec, who is designing every table this season, all the way to the 120-foot table in July.
Chef Danielle Anderson, presenting A Taste of Southern Grace.
Anderson is a personal chef in the Omaha metro, and owner and executive chef of René Christian Luxury Private Dining. Her lane is what she calls refined Southern comfort, with globally inspired cooking alongside it. Most nights she brings that food into clients’ homes. This night, she brought it to a barn.
Before the first course, the room watched Anderson’s micro-documentary on a 10-by-12-foot video wall: the story of where she comes from and why she cooks the way she does. Then the food started telling it.
The welcome cocktail was a Southern Peach Margarita, silver tequila and Grand Marnier with peach, lime, and a hint of cinnamon. Then came the courses:
Candied Bacon Angel Egg – a deviled egg with candied bacon and crispy cracklin’
Smoked Pork Belly Texas Twinkie – smoked pork belly on a bacon-wrapped jalapeño stuffed with firecracker cream cheese, glazed in Grandma Foster’s BBQ sauce, over golden hot-water cornbread
Pan-Seared Lump Crab Cake – with house-made rémoulade, paired with sparkling wine
Harvest Salad – apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, bacon, and aged cheddar in a maple-balsamic vinaigrette
Southern-Style Marinated Filet Mignon – with a balsamic-shallot reduction, Mama’s famous baked mac, and green beans with smoked turkey, paired with a pour of Maker’s Mark
Egg Rolls À La Mode – golden egg rolls filled with Southern peach cobbler, served warm with vanilla bean ice cream and salted caramel, paired with a Salted Caramel Espresso Martini
Dessert came with a personal touch: Anderson served every guest’s plate on a custom cutting board bearing their name.
“I really enjoyed the Southern flavor of everything that chef prepared,” one guest said. Another: “Everything that came out was such a fun surprise.”
Even the dessert pairing earned a review. “The salt on the espresso martini,” one diner said. “Very perfect.”
The soundtrack: EMCSHO
Between courses, musician EMCSHO performed live, the night’s other reveal and the second half of the pairing that defines Best Fest. The set was soulful and warm, the kind of music you settle into, and it carried the room from one course to the next. At this table, music isn’t background. It’s a course.
Strangers, then friends
What guests talked about most wasn’t only the food.
“Every bite was delicious, every song elevated the atmosphere, and strangers around the table quickly became friends,” said guest Micki Kass. Her verdict: “100/10. Definitely a night to remember.”
“I came to this event not knowing what to expect. It exceeded my expectations,” said Yolanda, a first-time guest. “For me, it was the individuals that I met, and the conversations that were being had, and watching other people have these conversations.”
Her advice for anyone on the fence: “This is something you would want to do to treat yourself. I will be coming again.”
One down, nine to go
Danielle Anderson and EMCSHO are now the first confirmed members of the Best Fest 2027 flagship cast. Nine more pairings will be revealed the same way, one dinner at a time.
Dinner No. 2 lands on October 31. Same rules. No spoilers.
Best Fest is a FASTER Studios production. Best Fest 2027 is made possible by Go Big Screens, TMS (Theatrical Media Services), Heartwood Preserve, 402 Events, and Hosted By Bec. Omaha Magazine is a media partner of Best Fest.
Tickets can be purchased at bestfest.faster-studios.com
