Although Gunshow’s “Hired Guns” series has already played host to award-winning guest chefs Brian Voltaggio and Vishwesh Bhatt this year, the fun isn’t over by a long shot. The 2016 lineup continues with chef de cuisine Brian Baxter of HUSK in Nashville, Tennessee, who will grace our kitchen on Sunday, May 22 and Monday, May 23. Diners will have the opportunity to mingle with Baxter, who was recently named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30, and taste his cuisine while also experiencing Gunshow’s unique service style and innovative dishes.

Restaurateur, chef, cookbook author and speaker Kevin Gillespie, along with executive chef Joey Ward and Gunshow's “kitchen dudes” will be cooking alongside Baxter both nights. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase via Xorbia. The cost is $95 per person (not including drinks, tax and gratuity).

“HUSK is considered a celebration of the South’s bounty, and I think Kevin, Joey and I share a very similar vision for our ingredient-driven cuisine,” says Baxter. “I find their passion for local products admirable and am really looking forward to collaborating with the whole Gunshow team.”

Baxter learned to cook, bake and garden at an early age by shadowing his mother. He went on to attend The Culinary Institute of America and, in 2008, he had the opportunity to stage at McCrady’s in Charleston, South Carolina. Baxter considers this experience working under chef Sean Brock a highlight of his career; so much so that it inspired him to turn down a job opportunity at a high-profile New York restaurant in 2011 to return to McCrady’s as chef de partie. Baxter was soon tapped to serve as sous chef on Husk Nashville’s opening team and was promoted to chef de cuisine shortly thereafter. A former football player, he likens the intensity on the field to that of the kitchen and says teamwork and passion are necessary components to success in both arenas. In his spare time, Baxter enjoys foraging Tennessee wildlife.

“Our 'Hired Guns' events just intensify the excitement and creative passion normally flowing into our dining room, and the energy is going to be off the charts when we get Brian in the kitchen with us," says Gillespie. "He is a master with Lowcountry ingredients and a skilled gardener of heirloom grains and vegetables. Our guests are really going to enjoy the way he brings Southern food to the table."

The remaining 2016 "Hired Guns" lineup is as follows:

• June 12-13: Kenny Gilbert of Gilbert's Underground Kitchen in Fernandina Beach, Florida (Tickets on sale May 12 at 8 a.m.)
• September 11-12: Brooke Williamson of Hudson House in Redondo Beach, California (Tickets on sale August 11 at 8 a.m.)
• October 23-24: Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina (Tickets on sale September 23 at 8 a.m.)