Chefs

wooden table in the foreground set for dining, with plush green bench seating in the background

1906

1906 is closed for the season and will reopen in April 2024.


1906 offers a full-service dining experience.

Reservations recommended. Timed Gardens Admission or Member Reservations are required for each member of your party, prior to your dining reservation time. 1906 does not accept reservations for parties larger than 12.

610.388.5290

Will Brown—Executive Chef

Longwood Gardens is proud to announce that Compass Group, the leading foodservice company in North America, recently honored Executive Chef Will Brown with the 2019 Restaurant Associates Chef of the Year Award.

“This important recognition is a testament to our vision of creating a memorable dining experience for all in the extraordinary setting of Longwood.”
—Paul B. Redman, Longwood Gardens President & CEO

After attending the most prestigious culinary school in the country, William was offered a position as Sous Chef at Winterthur Museum and Country Estate in Winterthur, Delaware. The Museum is a 175-room du Pont family mansion, where he honed his skills through exposure to corporate and social functions, as well as by operating a 250-seat cafeteria. Winterthur also hosts an annual steeplechase named Point-to-Point and a weekend long GardenFair event, both hosting upwards of 15,000 people. 

After moving to Atlanta in March of 2005 and a six-month stint as the Sous Chef of Table 1280 restaurant, he shifted to the catering division at the Woodruff Arts Center. Later, William became the Catering Chef and pressed his culinary team to settle for nothing less than unsurpassed quality and freshness. After four years in Atlanta, William was offered the position of Executive Chef at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Originally from the area, he jumped at the opportunity to move closer to his family. In the summer of 2011, William came back to Longwood Gardens and is now the Executive Chef at the Terrace restaurant.

William strives to combine classical French and modern techniques as well as to incorporate local and seasonal ingredients in his menus. Attention to sustainable seafood and ethical food products is also at the forefront of his practice.