About Us
From the Table to What Comes After
Beyond the Table was built the long way—through years of work at the table.
Before there was a parent company, before there were divisions or structure, there was simply the craft. Kitchens. Dining rooms. Wine programs. Service. The daily work of taking care of people at a high level, over and over again, until it became second nature.
French Magnolia began as the first clear expression of that work—an in-home dining experience built on the belief that some of the most meaningful moments in life happen around the table. What started in 2016 as a different way of approaching private dining grew steadily, shaped by real guests, real expectations, and a commitment to doing things properly.
Over time, that work expanded.
Nearly 1,200 private chef tables.
More than 10,000 guests served.
A body of work built not on concepts, but on execution.
But the table was never the end of it.
The Brasserie Chapter
Owning the Work
As the work deepened, we stepped further into ownership.
The French Magnolia Brasserie and wine bar became a natural extension of everything we had practiced—bringing together cuisine, wine, and hospitality into a single, physical space. It was a place to refine systems, lead teams, and operate at a level where details matter and standards are tested daily.
That chapter mattered.
It sharpened our understanding of flow, team dynamics, guest experience, and what it truly takes to operate a hospitality business beyond the surface. It reinforced what holds—and what doesn’t—when the work is yours.
And it clarified something else:
Our work wasn’t meant to stay confined to a single dining room.
We chose to close that chapter not as a retreat, but as a decision—to return to the tables of our clients, and to expand the work beyond any one location.
Beyond the Table
Why This Exists
As the work matured across dining, ownership, and media, a pattern became clear:
What we had built was more than a service.
It was a way of thinking. A way of operating. A way of structuring experiences that actually hold up.
Beyond the Table was established to carry that forward.
Not as a departure from hospitality, but as its continuation—
taking what was learned at the table and applying it more broadly, where it can serve others.
Today, that work is structured across four areas:
- French Magnolia — where the work continues at the table through private dining and experiential hospitality
- Beyond the Table Consulting® — where we advise hospitality and experience-driven businesses on clarity, structure, and alignment
- Beyond the Table Studios — where we create media, writing, and educational assets rooted in real work
- Beyond the Table Digital (formerly Connect Design 360) — where digital systems, websites, and marketing assets are built to support both internal brands and select partners
This structure exists to protect the integrity of the work—so expression follows experience, not the other way around.
A Broader Expression
French Magnolia Cooks
In 2022, an opportunity emerged that made that expansion visible.
What began as a conversation turned into French Magnolia Cooks, an Emmy Award–winning PBS television series written and produced by Chef Missy and Thomas Fraley.
Across 22 episodes, the show explores French-inspired cooking, regional ingredients, and the full journey of food—from sourcing and technique to hospitality and the experience of the table. It reflects the same philosophy that has guided our work from the beginning: that how something is made, served, and shared matters.
The series was nominated for six Emmy Awards and received four wins:
- Best Instructional Series
- Best Editor
- Best Director
- Best Cinematographer
Today, it airs on PBS and streams in more than 650 markets nationwide.
The show didn’t change the work.
It revealed it.
Our Work Today
We still spend time at the table.
That remains the foundation.
But today, the work also moves beyond it—through consulting, media, and selective partnerships where what we’ve learned can be applied in ways that create lasting value.
We don’t approach that work broadly or indiscriminately.
We engage where there is alignment, where the work matters, and where it can be carried forward properly.
One Body of Work
Together, this is not a collection of separate roles.
It is a single body of work shaped by two complementary disciplines—
creative direction and operational clarity.
Everything we do, whether at the table or beyond it, is guided by the same standard:
It has to be real.
It has to hold up in practice.
And it has to serve people well.
What This Means
If you join us at the table, you’ll experience the work as it was built—personal, intentional, and fully present.
If you work with us beyond the table, you’re stepping into something shaped by real experience—refined over time and applied with care.
Either way, the goal is the same:
To create work that lasts.
Chef Missy Fraley
Creative Director | Chef | Co-Founder
Missy is the creative force behind the work.
Her background sits at the intersection of culinary craft, interior design, and experiential storytelling—shaping not only what is served, but how it feels to be in the space.
Raised in Atlanta, she moved to New York City at 23 and built her culinary career from the ground up, working through professional kitchens before rising to executive chef roles. Alongside her culinary work, she founded and led a successful interior design firm for over a decade, designing residences, events, and environments that felt intuitive, layered, and lived-in.
Her work has always been about more than food.
It’s about composition. Flow. Atmosphere. The small details that determine whether something feels forced or natural.
She later deepened her understanding of ingredients and wellness through formal study in holistic nutrition, adding another layer to how she approaches cooking and menu development.
Today, Missy leads culinary development, creative direction, media storytelling, and experiential design across everything under Beyond the Table.
Thomas Fraley
Hospitality | Wine | Strategy | Co-Founder
Thomas brings structure to the work.
With more than three decades in fine dining and hospitality, his background spans service leadership, wine program development, operations, and consulting across Atlanta, Charleston, and the High Country of North Carolina.
His experience includes senior roles with The Four Seasons in Atlanta, where he managed service and led the wine program for the Chef’s Table, as well as work with multiple Relais & Châteaux–affiliated properties.
Earlier in life, he served eight years in the United States Army Reserves, where he developed a leadership approach grounded in preparation, clarity, and steady decision-making under pressure—principles that continue to shape his work today.
At Beyond the Table, Thomas focuses on hospitality systems, service design, wine, and strategic clarity—ensuring that what is created not only feels right, but works.
He also leads production across Beyond the Table Studios, including photography, cinematography, and editing, bringing a grounded, hands-on approach to media that reflects real work rather than manufactured narratives.
What next?
If you’ve made it this far, you likely have a clear sense of how we approach the work—and why it’s been built this way.
Take a little time to explore the brands more closely.
Each one carries a specific role, but they’re all grounded in the same foundation and standard.
There’s no need to rush into anything.
The right next step tends to become obvious when there’s alignment.
When that happens, we’re open to the conversation.
Whether it begins at the table or moves beyond it, we approach every engagement the same way—with clarity, care, and intention—making sure the work is understood before it’s ever expanded.
If it makes sense, we’ll move forward. We look forward to connecting with you.