restaurant spotlight

Downtown Cary’s most versatile restaurant rests squarely in the center of The Mayton hotel’s main level. Welcome to Peck & Plume, which features modern American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

Whether you sit in the main dining room, the bar, the cozy study, or the open-air terrace, you’re assured to experience first-rate service, ambiance, and flavor.

Among the restaurant’s most striking décor is wallpaper created by Hillsborough-based artist Katie M. Hayes and produced by Durham’s Spoonflower, a print-ondemand textile company. New tables, flooring, and lighting further enhance the warm, comfortable space.

Veteran chef Jason Daniels helms Peck & Plume’s kitchen. The softspoken Arkansas native served a decade as executive chef at the Forbes four-star rated Inn at Willow Grove near Charlottesville, Virginia. Daniels has spent most of his career running kitchens at various resorts, country clubs, and award-winning historic inns.

“I’ve been stirring pots for 35 years,” the humble chef said recently during an exclusive sit-down conversation following a bustling Friday lunch service. “Being in a hotel keeps me on my toes and keeps my knives sharp. I never get complacent, and I have a great team working with me.”

Daniels says modern American fare comprises the “bones of the operation,” but he also draws inspiration from Asian, French, Mediterranean, and Latin cultures.

Peck & Plume’s airy main dining room features modern décor and plenty of seating. From the custom wallpaper, which features native bird species, to the light fixtures in the dining room, crafted to look like nests, many design details are inspired by The Mayton’s proximity to the 7-acre Downtown Cary Park, due to be completed later this year.

“The menu contains home favorites that are dressed up and brought to town,” he said with a smile. “Consistency is the biggest piece of the puzzle for me, so I enjoy spending time teaching others in the kitchen how to maintain a high level of quality.”

No matter which meal you partake at Peck & Plume, you’ll be presented with a well-composed dish made from locally sourced ingredients.

At breakfast, consider the spinach, tomato, and feta frittata with apple smoked bacon, pork or chicken sausage, and breakfast potatoes or garlic cheese grits. Or relish the black pepper biscuits