For much of his career, Atlanta native and University of Georgia graduate Jim Shad moved around the world, before returning to Atlanta in 2012.

For nearly a decade, Shad lived in Texas, and that had a big influence on his cooking.

“I got a great appreciation for how barbecue is done in that part of the world,” he said. “It’s mostly beef, which you would expect. And, living in Cincinnati ... I got their unique spin on more German-style food.”

Whatever he’s cooking, Shad enjoys having people over to share it. One of his favorite crowd-pleasing dishes is an audacious filet of beef dubbed Tenderloin Tower.

“I picked it up when I was living in Greenwood, Mississippi,” he said. “I thought it was awesome, and, so, I kind of adopted it as a go-to, high-end dinner dish.”

Essentially a deluxe stack of meat and potatoes topped with cabernet sauce and onion straws, Shad said it has “a lot of flavor, and a lot of wow factor.”

Jim Shad picked up the Tenderloin Tower idea when he was living in Greenwood, Mississippi. Courtesy of Jim Shad

Credit: Handout

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Credit: Handout


Tenderloin Tower

The fillet of beef is best when cooked on a grill or a Big Green Egg, but can be cooked in the oven, if preferred. The instructions below are for the Big Green Egg, which adds a hint of smokiness to the meat.

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