Chef Wells Selbe

Chef Wells was born into the food business in Roanoke, Virginia. His great-grandfather owned a restaurant in upstate New York called The Candlelight. His grandfather was the chef, grandmother the barkeep, and his mother the waitress. He was raised in his family’s catering company, Chanticleer Catering, bussing tables and helping with prep work since elementary school. At 16 years old, he attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Paris, France, later going on to graduate from the University of Virginia with a degree in Anthropology. Wells continued to work with his family’s company as they expanded their operations to create and acquire three historic venues, Overhome, The Corinthian Ballroom and The Virginian on Jefferson.

Wanting to expand his culinary knowledge, Wells pursued tenures at Jean-Georges and Don Angie in NYC, The Continental and Audrey in Nashville, Ballyhack in Roanoke, Virginia, and The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA. When Chef Wells isn’t in the kitchen, he spends his time hunting for rare Appalachian ingredients on his 50 acre farm in Hardy, VA. He is an avid fly fisherman and loves spending time hiking in the beautiful mountains of Giles County.