Chef Andrew Little and the restaurant staff of Hanover's Sheppard Mansion are obsessive about ingredients, and it shows in their menu and the quality of the offerings. Chef Little is known for working closely with local farmers to obtain the exact products he's looking for, and his menu revolves around our local foods. Big city expectations meet local flavors.

It is with this in mind that Little was awarded Pennsylvania's first Governor's Award for the Culinary Arts. Central PA magazine's "Phantom Diner" has called the Sheppard Mansion Central PA's "best kept secret." But not for long. Attention to detail in service matches the food, and that service is probably the best I've personally witnessed anywhere.

Chef Little, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, is very direct about the importance of knowing the source of ingredients as well as the farmers themselves. The Sheppard family even provides meat from its own Scottish Highland Cattle.

Tentative plans for the day have us photographing at a special table set up with a layer cake and two other plated deserts. In addition to shooting these fine foods, we'll each get a sampler dessert plate and complimentary iced tea.