Thirty years of celebrations: Chef Nancy Nearon brings “An Old World Affair” to The Mill Top

For more than 30 years, Chef Nancy Nearon has been the cook behind the table at celebrations across central Indiana. On Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m., she will play host to her most personal one yet: An Old World Affair, an evening of wine, cuisine, and storytelling at The Mill Top Banquet and Conference Center, 802 Mulberry St., Noblesville.

Nearon’s career reads like a tour of the region’s favorite rooms. She was Executive Pastry Chef at Morton’s The Steakhouse and at Red’s The Steakhouse in Indianapolis, cooked at Hotel Indy, and served as Director of Culinary Operations at The Grove Estate in Peru.

In Noblesville, she was Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager at Barley Island and Deer Creek Pub, running the kitchen beside a brewery that made its own beer on site. She later led a department at Whole Foods Market in Indianapolis, and today she is Corporate Executive Chef at The Mill Top. Banquets, weddings, wine dinners, and holiday celebrations have been her stock in trade for decades – she has managed back-of-house commercial kitchens for 25 years.

One evening stands apart. Nearon was featured in the world-acclaimed film Falconer: Sport of Kings, where she created the feast set for a king and prepared the entire menu for the film.

“Cooking, baking, and managing teams – that is my whole history, and I love all three,” she said.

On Dec. 4, she will share the stage with her brother, Edwin Brochin, a master falconer and award-winning filmmaker. Brochin will present his family’s Ancient Vines wines – award-winning, 100-percent Tempranillo from Spain – with the stories and film behind them, and guests can meet Tiffany, his hawk.

A separate matinee on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. will feature his documentaries on animals and extinction awareness. Nearon’s own presentation pairs passed and stationary appetizers and her Franco-Iberian savory and sweet pies – every one made from scratch – with five wine flights.

The evening also marks The Mill Top’s 15th anniversary, and Nearon will announce her new restaurant: a very fine steakhouse opening at The Mill Top in 2027. She hopes the night does what her best events have always done: bring Hamilton County people together, business to business, and neighbor to neighbor.

Tickets are $140 Early Bird through Nov. 15, then $150 General Admission; the matinee is $45, sold separately. Tickets and information are available at OldWorldAffair.eventbrite.com.