Tipping the Glass – Georgia’s Restaurateurs on Trend with Wine and Beer

March 2010

by Shannon Wilder

When it comes to beverage trends, the clear expectation is that flavor is going to carry the day. But what comes to the fore in this economic environment is that, across the board, savvy restaurateurs are focusing as much on the experience surrounding the drinker as what’s in the glass, whether it’s wine, beer or non-alcoholic beverages.

According to data from the Beverage Information Group, people in the United States consumed nearly 3 gallons of wine per person in 2008. Many are the first round of Millennials—those born roughly between 1980 and 2000— who are now of legal drinking age and who are more savvy about wine at an earlier age than previous generations.

Many diners, including Millennials, will continue to be cost-conscious through 2010 as the economy slowly rebounds, and that means bottles of wine between $25 and $50 will continue to be frequent sellers.

Unique Experiences Reign
Diners have been cautious regarding who they spend their money with, and that won’t change in 2010. Restaurants who can provide these cost-conscious patrons a unique experience without them spending a bundle will be rewarded with repeat and loyal customers.

For Joël Brasserie in Atlanta, that unique experience translates to wine tastings and dinners, educational wine seminars, and its French-born sommelier, Perrine Prieur.

Prieur, who grew up on her family’s vineyard in Burgundy, has an extensive knowledge of wines from around the world. Diners often seek out Joël—recognized in both 2007 and 2008 with Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence—and Prieur because of her deep understanding of French wines.

Prieur helps educate diners and attract people to the restaurant with monthly wine seminars. The budget-friendly events are $35 for an hour and a half session, complete with hors d’oeuvres, and focus on wines of a particular nation or region, such as France, Italy, Spain or South America.  She also uses the seminars to focus on new and upcoming trends such as organic and biodynamic wines.

And while the more pricy wine dinners are nothing new, they still do attract diners looking for that unique experience and will continue to be popular in the coming year.

Prieur says she enjoys planning wine dinners for her restaurant’s clientele. “Every month, sometimes twice a month, I try to get winemakers here,” she says. “I try to do wine parings but it’s boring to do always the same wines. Each dinner needs to try something different.” So far, she’s hosted vintners from Chile, Argentina, Napa Valley, Oregon, Bordeaux and Champagne. A recent wine dinner focused on a vineyard in Burgundy that uses organic practices.

As far as the wines themselves, more clear fruit flavors are starting to overtake the woodsy notes, and brighter flavors are gaining popularity.

Staying Green and Close to Home
It’s no surprise that the organic and local movement is starting to infiltrate the beverage world given its popularity in chefs’ kitchens, and organic and local wines will continue to pick up steam in the coming year.

While there are several Georgia wineries gaining recognition, Prieur has noticed that it’s been difficult to carry Georgia wines in the restaurant, but sees that changing in the coming years as the local movement continues to gather steam.

She currently offers an ice wine from Clayton-based Persimmion Creek, noting that it pairs well with dishes as diverse as foie gras and a Fuji baked apple with caramel sauce.

“I’d like to pour some more and represent a little bit more,” she says of Georgia-based wineries, “but it’s not that big a demand yet.”

Although interest in “green” beverages is growing, restaurant diners may still be confused about some of the terminology. Part of the issue is that these sustainable labels don’t always have teeth. While food and beverages can be certified organic, there is still some confusion regarding other green terms slapped onto labels. More regulations within the wine industry are on the horizon to help customers navigate these increasingly popular terms, and with it an increase in diners’ requests for these more earth-friendly options.

Tech-Savvy Equals Wine Savvy

The wine world has not been immune to the influence of the Internet, and Millennials are leading the charge.

From the social networking site Wine 2.0 to more than 700 wine blogs and iPhone apps, technology and the Millennials who use it will continue to influence how restaurant patrons learn about and purchase their wines while dining out. It’s a trend that shows no sign of stopping, and could influence how restaurants market their wine lists in the future.

Getting Crafty
Just as the local and organic movement is touching the wine world, so too are there an increasing number of organic and locally brewed beers being requested by diners.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the top trend for beer and wine is locally produced wine and beer, with organic wine and beer coming in fourth and craft beer ranked at No. 6.

A few decades ago, says Nick Kaye, managing editor of Atlanta-based Beer Connoisseur, a newly launched magazine that aims to be the brew crew’s version of Food & Wine, there were just a handful of big breweries producing beer in America.

Now, however, the craft brew movement is in full force. Much like family-owned wineries, craft breweries – defined by the Brewers Association, a trade group for craft brewers, as producing no more than 2 million barrels of beer a year – are cropping up all over the country producing innovative reinterpretations of historic beer styles made from a mix of traditional and nontraditional ingredients.

You’d be hard pressed to find a drinking establishment in the state these days that doesn’t have at least one local Georgia brewery represented in some form.

That wasn’t always the case. Alan LeBlanc, co-owner of Atlanta’s Max Lager’s, the state’s oldest independent brewery restaurant, encountered a sort of bias against craft beers and microbrews when he started up 12 years ago. “They’d say, ‘No, I don’t like microbrews’ because they had one they didn’t like. I think a few years back we reached the tipping point where people realized they might not like all the microbrewed beers, but that doesn’t mean its bad beer. It’s no different than preferring Merlots over Cabernets.”

The craft beer movement, Kaye says, “is a mission to spread the word of good beer and get it into more people’s mouths and restaurants. Beer is being treated these days, and appreciated these days, the way wine always has. It’s a whole new level.”

And like wine, several restaurants in Georgia are starting to offer beer-cheese pairings and beer dinners. In fact, Kaye says when it comes to one time-honored pairing – wine and cheese – beer may be ready to give the grapes a run for their money. “At its base level, the effervescence of beer, the carbonation really cuts through some of your more heavy, fatty buttery cheeses like a goat cheese.”

Knowledgeable Staff
Many in the state’s rapidly expanding restaurant market rely heavily on well-prepared servers who function as de facto cicerones, the beer world’s version of the sommelier, to help educate diners on the increasing array of beer choices.

Kaye singles out Taco Mac’s extremely knowledgeable Beverage Director Fred Crudder, who has a sort of club room named after him at the Sandy Springs location. It’s open to members of Taco Mac’s Brewniversity, a combination beer education and customer rewards program that helps patrons navigate the chain’s formidable beer offerings.

Based on Taco Mac’s former Passport Club program, the Brewniversity encourages patrons to try new beers. Diners get credit for each different brew they select, and an “ID card” keeps track of progress. Those in the program start to receive rewards starting with the 13th unique beer consumed.

Trend Setters
Down in Savannah, the Nichols brothers, John and Phillip, who recently reopened one of the city’s oldest dining establishments, the c. 1933 Crystal Beer Parlor, offer a page-plus menu advising the perfect beer to go with dishes such as chili cheese dogs, gumbo, steaks, shrimp, and even a Greek salad.

Crystal Beer Parlor has close to 100 beers in bottles and 15 on tap. The Nichols also keep a book out in which patrons are encouraged to make suggestions. Most of what’s currently in stock, Nichols says, is craft brews, including beer from Savannah’s own Moon River Brewing Co.

Max Lager’s, which, like Moon River, is one of the nation’s 990 brewpubs, now offers beer parings, beer dinners and beer flights with six glasses.

“It’s very social,” says Alan of the beer flights. “It’s very interactive, and you’re developing a nice knowledge.”

The restaurant has also launched an entirely new event, Beer Judging 101. LeBlanc says patrons are presented with an official beer-judging sheet and compare one of Max Lager’s house brewed beers with similar bottled varieties. The idea is to learn to assess the characteristics of each.

“We conduct a beer judging seminar to teach people about the different varieties,” he says. “I’ll bring our beer and several bottles of a similar style together and lay out the official beer judging guide sheets and have some appetizers beforehand. Then we’ll come in and sit down and do a beer judging seminar so people can see varieties, … what the differences are in character. That’s something I find to be a lot of fun.

“It’s about different, unique flavors and experiences,” he adds. “Not seeking the same old same old but trying to discover something interesting, something that you like, something that’s different.”

Unlike many of the state’s dining establishments with hundreds of beers available, Max Lager’s carefully culls its offering to some 30 bottled beers in addition to the handful of house brews. While some offerings—usually a dark lager, a pilsner and Vienna-style red beer—stay on tap year-round, LeBlanc says brewer John Roberts reserves one or two of the restaurant’s taps for a seasonal brew such as a barleywine beer that will be ready to pour this spring and an Imperial Oatmeal Stout, which is earmarked for St. Patrick’s Day.

Before the new Crystal Beer Parlor owners relaunched the restaurant, they sat down with a local beer expert and planned out the offerings. Among them is a selection of retro beers called “Beers of Our Fathers,” which includes such familiar names as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Stroh’s, Dixie and Genesee Cream Ale.

Nichols also keeps an eye out for vintage beers – he happened upon some vintage 2006 and 2007 Stone Double Bastard, a California ale. “I got the only two cases in Savannah and sold them in 24 hours,” Nichols says. The higher the alcohol content, the longer the beer keeps, he adds. But don’t expect any 100-year-old vintages; beers last about five to six years.

He also plans to start carrying gluten-free beer in the near future. He’s had a few requests for this type of beer, which is made from sorghum, and also has a family member with celiac disease—such people can’t tolerate gluten, which normally comes from grain, especially wheat.

The industry is also seeing an upswing is canned beers, but not like the ones your father used to drink. Canned beers have had a bad rap for so long, but with new lining technology, more breweries are finding that the cans keep the beer fresh longer and give a truer taste with some types of beer. Dale’s Pale Ale, a craft beer out of Lyons, Colo., is just one example of a high-end beer that’s sold in a can and has started to have a wider distribution in Georgia.

It’s this mix of quality and perceived value that will continue to drive the beverage industry into 2010.

“Conspicuous consumption is not cool anymore,” LeBlanc says. “For somebody like us who’s always offered a high-quality product, we’re not the cheapest but we’re not the most expensive—we’re being successful in this environment.”

November/December 2009

On November 15, the restaurant industry gathered at the third annual Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence Awards Gala to recognize and pay tribute to the leaders who have made outstanding contributions to Georgia’s restaurant industry. This year’s GRACE Awards featured keynote speaker Virginia Willis.

The GRACE Awards, crystal works of art created by renowned local artist Hans-Godo Frabel, stand for excellence in the following five categories: Restaurateur of the Year, Industry Partner of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, Innovator Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. These awards show appreciation for our stars, the people devoted to our industry. On behalf of the Georgia Restaurant Association, congratulations to both the winners and the finalists.

Karen Bremer Wins GRACE Lifetime Achievement Award

Restaurateur of the Year: Hank Clark, Marlow ‘s Tavern

Distinguished Service Award: Patrick Cuccaro, Affairs to Remember Caterers

Innovator Award: Holly Elmore, Green Food service Alliance

Industry Partner of the Year: Jason Howell, Royal Cup Coffee

Winner: Jason Howell , Atlanta District Manager, Royal Cup Coffee

Since the 1890s, when founder Henry T. Batterton’s fresh, flavorful coffee became known as the “Royal Cup of Coffee,” the Birmingham, AL-based company has been serving up hot coffee to people around the state.

Since 1958, the importer, roaster and distributor of premium coffees and teas has been distributing more than 30 varieties of coffee to hotels and restaurants.

As Atlanta District Manager, Jason Howell works with restaurants to develop customized packages of equipment and coffee servers, depending on a restaurant’s needs and what they’re trying to accomplish. Having been a part of the restaurant industry himself, he understands each individual restaurant’s unique needs, and works with local Royal Cup Coffee representatives to ensure restaurants are satisfied with the company’s service and product.

The company purchases large quantities of coffee beans, which allows the company to pass on the value and bulk purchasing to its customers, helping the company keep prices down and be more profitable as well.

For Royal Cup Coffee, however, it’s not just about getting the best bean at the lowest cost. The coffee and tea company works with the Rainforest Alliance to purchase certified-sustainable coffees from farms where workers are provided fair wages, decent housing, schools and access to health care.

Aside from his work managing Royal Cup Coffee operations in the metro Atlanta, Augusta and Athens areas, Howell is also active within the restaurant industry and the community, supporting several nonprofits. He is also involved with the American Culinary Federation Atlanta and Athens chapters, as well as on the GRA’s board of directors. He was named the 2008 and 2009 Manager of the Year Southeast Region for Royal Cup Coffee.

His first job in the restaurant industry was when he was 14 years old as an oyster shucker and busboy at Palmer’s Seafood in Savannah. He has been with Royal Cup Coffee since 2004.

Advice to those just starting out: “Number one: Work hard – very hard. Number two: Be a business partner, whether you’re a chef, restaurateur, salesperson or otherwise, not just a vendor selling a product, or an operator trying to source goods and services. We can all learn from each other and help each other be successful. Number three: Give back to the industry and people that support you financially,” he advises.

Best job he ever held: “My current position with Royal Cup Coffee. Royal Cup Coffee is a family-owned and-operated company with a commitment to producing the finest coffee and tea products available anywhere, plus sensational customer service. The Smith family, [which owns] Royal Cup Coffee, also maintains a commitment to [its] employees and their families, numerous charitable and industry organizations (including the GRA), as well as their treasured customers, and that commitment is cultural within Royal Cup Coffee,” he says.

Industry Partner of the Year Finalists

• Chris Coan, General Manager, Business and Government Markets, Gas South
• Barbara Waters Wilson, Marketing Project Manager of Georgia Power

Winner: Holly Elmore, founder and Executive Director of Green Food service Alliance

If you had to pick two words to describe Holly Elmore, they would be “passionate” and “driven.” The founder and Executive Director of the Green Foodservice Alliance (GFA), an affiliate of the GRA, has been instrumental in encouraging those in the foodservice industry to take action now to reduce its impact on the environment.

After a stint in the corporate accounting world, Elmore began her career in the foodservice industry when she launched Executive Catering & Events. Over the next 15 years, Elmore operated the corporate catering company along with two successful restaurants in the Atlanta market.

Something felt like it was missing though, so she changed directions. In 2007, she launched GFA and hasn’t looked back since.

“These are amazing times,” Elmore says. “The foodservice industry is mobilizing and changing its industry practices. It is thrilling to be one of the many catalysts motivating an industry to create new operating standards.”

One of the first, and most impactful, initiatives launched by GFA is the Zero Waste Zone, which focuses on downtown Atlanta’s convention district and participating foodservice operations. More than 10 companies, including the Georgia World Congress Center and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, have pledged to recycle, reuse spent grease for the local production of biofuel and compost or donate food residuals to decrease the amount of waste going to landfills. Plans are in the works to expand the zones to other areas within Atlanta, across Georgia and throughout the country.

Major industry trends in 2010: “Sustainability and integrity is more than a trend; in the near future these virtues will be demanded of corporate executives to maintain successful businesses in the new economic climate. It no longer works to only be concerned about a business’ profitability and its impact on the immediate community. Businesses must understand the environmental impact of their raw material purchases and the results their product has within the global community,” she notes.

Most pressing challenges facing the industry: “The current economic tide is serving as a cleansing device for the industry. Creative operators with flexible business models will ride the tide of evolution to phenomenal results. Adapting to customer demand for value is a key to success. Each operator must evaluate their own customer base to determine how to entice their customers to dine in their establishment. No one solution will work for the industry; these are times for creative exploration,” she adds.

Her greatest accomplishment: “Creating the Green Foodservice Alliance is the result of being true to my heart and not following a logical path. I am honored to be the engine behind an organization that is making national news and evolving the standard operating practices of the second largest industry in the nation,” says Elmore.

Innovator Award Finalists

• Bill Johnson, Senior Principal,The Johnson Studio
• Patrick Gebrayel, Executive Chef, Dunwoody Country Club

Winner: Patrick Cuccaro, general manager of Affairs to Remember Caterers

Combine a theater background, an advertising career and an ever-present love for food, and you have a recipe for Patrick Cuccaro’s career path. With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, Cuccaro now helps to set the stage at Affairs to Remember as its General Manager.

“It has been my privilege to create a business environment that places respect and innovation at the top of its priority list,” says Cuccaro, who joined Affairs to Remember in 1990. “Crafting a company driven by strong core values was a very big challenge, but it also represents my greatest sense of accomplishment.”

Cuccaro not only oversees the work of the company’s catering consultants, but he also manages Affairs to Remember’s internal culinary research and development, human resources, community and public relations and marketing.

Cuccaro is also a founding member and President Emeritus of the Off- Premises Caterers’ Coalition of Georgia. He serves on the GRA’s board of directors, where he cochairs the Off-Premises Caterers Roundtable.

His latest project is a three-day training course, catering boot camp, developed for the GRA to help restaurateurs who are cultivating catering as a secondary revenue source. He also helms the nonprofit initiative Legacy 2×10, which helps organizations afford luxury fundraising services through in-kind donations of catering and event services. Since the program’s inception in 2007, they’ve already donated $1 million in in-kind services to charitable organizations.

“Those who know me understand that contributing to others gives me great pleasure,” Cuccaro says. “To be nominated for doing something that I do out of sheer force of nature is doubly gratifying.”

What the restaurant industry means to Georgia: “As recently as 25 years ago, Georgians yawned when the Ritz Carlton brought a world-renowned chef to open its new Dining Room. Today, celebrity chefs abound and consider Atlanta to be fertile territory, and some of our best homegrown chefs from all over the state are receiving national awards and attention. Georgia’s foodservice industry holds the promise of long-term, rewarding careers for those professionals who chose to master the skills required,” he says.

Major trends for 2010: “Many families have begun to place a higher value on at-home dining. While some restaurateurs might find this an alarming trend, others see it as an opportunity to provide inhome meal replacements and catering. Indeed, Off-Premises Catering will continue to be a revenue powerhouse when it comes to enhancing the bottom line,” says Cuccaro.

Advice to those just starting out: “Try to put yourself in the presence of the best possible talent. Look for the best company, not the best instant deal. At Affairs to Remember, you start at the bottom, even if you have proven industry-specific experience, and you work for the rewards. It takes time, at least three years, just to get the lay of the land. If you want a rewarding career, you must simply look for the best possible environment,” he notes.

Distinguished Service Award Finalists

• Kat Cole, Vice President of Training and Development, Hooters of America, Inc.
• Bobby Donland JR., Executive Managing Partner/Owner of Donland and Geenbaum’s New York Prime-A Steakhouse

Winner: Hank Clark, partner, Marlow ‘s Tavern

A 23-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Hank Clark has served as Market Partner for Aqua Blue and Marlow’s Tavern since 2002.

Clark studied business administration at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK, and began his restaurant career with Brinkers International. Seven years ago, he teamed up with John Metz, chef and co-owner of Marlow’s Tavern and Aqua Blue, to launch and run the two successful concepts in the Atlanta area.

“I fell in love with the daily action that takes place in restaurants,” says Clark, who adds that creating the Marlow’s Tavern concept has been his greatest achievement. “To take something from a blank piece of paper to a place where thousands of people enjoy great food and beverage daily is a great feeling.”

Clark is dedicated to the development of the Atlanta-area foodservice industry. He sits on the GRA and GRA-PAC board of directors and is also Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee. He has also leveraged his business success to help the Special Olympics over the years and champions political advocacy within the restaurant industry.

“I am trying to give back as much as I can to our industry,” Clark says. “I have been blessed by having been surrounded by people that have given their time and money to help me be successful. Now I am at the place in my career where I am able to give back and help the next generation of leaders in our industry.”

Major trends for 2010: “Restaurants must continue to offer great value for their services. Personalizing guests’ experiences and getting to know your loyal base, as well as new guests, will become more and more important. In tough economic times, people are very intolerant of mediocre experiences, so a stronger focus on daily execution must happen,” Clark says.

Most rewarding part of his career: “Seeing so many of our hourly employees become leaders in our management ranks. We promise an opportunity to grow and advance within our company, and seeing people take advantage of that opportunity makes me tremendously happy,” he adds.

Advice to those just starting out: “Find great mentors and set a plan for advancement with them. Learning how to set goals and how to go after them daily with measurable results is key to advancement. If someone wants a career in the restaurant industry, I would also recommend a culinary degree. Even if your aspirations aren’t to become a chef, having great knowledge of food is something you can use to jump ahead of everyone you are competing with,” he says.

What motivates him: “I am motivated by the desire to succeed. I know that if I don’t give my best daily, I am letting hundreds of our people down. They expect great things from our leadership team, and I wake up daily thinking about that.”

Restaurateur of the Year Finalists

• Mark and Nancy Oswald , co-owners/franchisees, Ruth’s Chris Steak House
• Niko Karatassos Director of Operations, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group

Winner: Karen I. Bremer, consultant , Bremer Consulting

For more than 30 years, behind the doors of Dailey’s and City Grill, tucked into the kitchen at Mick’s and the Pleasant Peasant, there was Karen Bremer. Since 1981, she has been there, working to build a business, helping to strengthen the city’s restaurant industry and taking countless employees under her wing.

As President of the Peasant Restaurant Division of the Atlanta Dining Group, Bremer was the chief officer in a $26-million, multiunit, high-visibility citywide operation. In her first year as president, she increased the revenues of her division by 6% and overall profits by an impressive 7%. After three years as president of the Peasant Restaurants, she assumed ownership of two of its most popular restaurants, Dailey’s and City Grill, and began her own Atlanta-based company, Great Hospitality, LLC.

However, it is her commitment and dedication, her responsibility to the restaurant industry and her employees that drive Bremer.

“When one is in a leadership position and responsible for other human beings, I think you have the responsibility to give back to your community,” she says. “We take, so, therefore, we give back. I was brought up in a home where volunteerism was considered to be a part of who you are.”

She has served as past president of the Georgia Restaurant Association, treasurer of the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association and was appointed in May 2002 to serve on the board of directors of the National Restaurant Association. She is on the board of directors of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and a member of the executive board of the TEAM Georgia.

Although she didn’t know it at the time, the seeds of Karen’s career in the restaurant industry were planted when she was just 15 years old as a checker for S&S Cafeteria.

She went on to major in public relations, but after an internship with WR Grace Restaurant Company helping to open restaurants in California, she was hooked.

“I just fell in love with the opening of restaurants, and making the magic of a whole team of people coming together and serving people food and making sure there was hospitality, all of that.”

She has gone on to lead a successful career in the restaurant business. Unfortunately, like many in the restaurant industry, Great Hospitality could not outlast the economic downturn. In the summer of 2009, both Dailey’s and City Grill closed.

“When I closed the restaurants, the amount of letters I received, e-mails and telephone calls from regular customers and ex-employees – there’s been a tremendous amount of support within the community and from other restaurateurs, and that’s been very uplifting,” she says.

Although the closures were difficult for Karen, she vows to remain in the restaurant industry and recently launched her own consulting company.

“There’s this next chapter on hold for me,” she says. “You know, the true measure of your success at the end of the day is not what you’ve got in the bank; it’s the difference you make on those around you. We’re supposed to leave this place in better shape than when we found it.”

October, 2009

By Dora Burke

If you had ever met Carvel Grant Gould, you’d know she is a determined woman.

When she was 20 years old, she was so set on becoming a chef that she left the University of Georgia to pursue her dream.

But her determination – and love of cooking – was there from an early age.

“I was 6 when I started making chocolate lollipops and selling them door to door,” she recalls. “At age 11, I would visit my great-grandmother and cook beef tenderloin and boiled custard for her.”

Chef Gould thought every kid cooked, and didn’t realize how unique she was growing up.

Once she started watching cooking shows, like those hosted by Julia Child and The Galloping Gourmet, she knew she wanted to be a chef.

Unfortunately, her family was not so excited. The young Chef Gould’s mother was distraught, thinking the labor-intensive line of work was not appropriate for a young lady.

In 1991, her mom called a family friend, Aria owner Gerry Klaskala, then chef and managing partner of Buckhead Life Group’s Buckhead Diner. She asked him to scare Chef Gould so she “would not want to work in the kitchen again.”

Klaskala agreed, and put the young Chef Gould to work at the Buckhead Diner. She loved it.

“My mom [and Gerry] thought that if I worked in the line of a busy kitchen, I would see how much hard work it was and just go back to school,” she says.

But after a week on the job, the fire was lit, and Chef Gould asked Klaskala if she had a job. With no prior experience, Chef Gould was working the line at the Buckhead Diner.

“At that time, the diner was always busy, and you had complete interaction with the guests,” Chef Gould recalls. “The open kitchen allowed everyone on the line to feel the excitement from the georgia restaurant and even talk to the guests eating at the counter.”

In 1995, Klaskala left Buckhead Life and partnered with George McKerrow, Jr. and money advisor Ron San Martin to create We’re Cookin’, Inc. restaurant group. Not long after, they launched the idea for Canoe, a venture that would showcase American fusion cuisine.

During this time, Chef Gould moved to another of Buckhead Life’s establishments, 103 West. Klaskala soon called and asked Chef Gould if she would join him at Canoe. She happily obliged.

Chef Gould worked her way through the kitchen at Canoe and finally became chef de cuisine. After a brief stint helping Klaskala open another restaurant, Chef Gould returned to Canoe in 2005 as Executive Chef.

For her, it was a blessing in disguise to return “home” as the boss, and she’s served as Executive Chef ever since.

Southern Roots Run Deep

Chef Gould, a seventh-generation Atlantan and native of the city, has an authentic appreciation and a true flair for regional cuisine. Her sophisticated Southern style is a fundamental part of the Canoe experience.

“She has a very natural ability towards cooking,” Klaskala says. “A lot of folks in the industry are not naturals, but she has the skills. She loves what she does and it shows.”

Chef Gould’s diverse experience and Southern heritage combine to create her truly original culinary style.

Dishes include such offerings as BBQ pork shank with Vidalia onion, quick carrot pickle, and lavender vanilla jus and slow-roasted Carolina rabbit, with Swiss chard-applewood smoked bacon ravioli and candied garlic jus.

Such dishes have led Chef Gould and Canoe to be featured in Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Gourmet, The Wine Spectator and The New York Times.

Harvesting A Passion For Sustainable Seafood

Aside from Chef Gould’s love of Southern cooking, she also has a passion for seafood and cares deeply about the sustainability of the industry.

“I am just as passionate about sustainable seafood as I am cooking,” she says. “I was always a big fan of the Discovery Channel’s show The Deadliest Catch, but once I started learning more about the industry I could not stop.”

Chef Gould was first introduced to fresh Alaskan seafood through her relationship with Brodie Lang, Director of Purchasing at Concentrics Restaurants and a veteran of Alaska’s renowned fisheries.

“[Lang] is very knowledgeable about the fishing industry and sustainable fishing practices,” Chef Gould says. “She introduced me to some reputable distributors who in turn introduced me to the fishermen. They brought me king crab that had never been frozen. I was amazed – having never been a fan of crab in the past, this tasted like nothing else. I was hooked.”

Chef Gould learned the challenges of harvesting Alaskan king crab firsthand when she traveled to Dutch Harbor in Alaska in 2007 to meet some of the fishermen, including those on The Deadliest Catch, and learned how the crab is caught.

“It is an amazingly difficult process with violent, unpredictable waters and many long days at sea,” Chef Gould says. “I saw how the crab was processed and how perishable the product really is, and it only increased my appetite and appreciation for king crab.”

Chef Gould returned again in 2008, and is planning another trip this year.

Until recently, the crabbing industry worked under a derby-style season, which encouraged fishermen to catch as much crab as possible as fast as possible, often driving them to maximize their haul at the expense of safety.

After 2005, however, the industry transitioned to a quota system in response to the dangers of having too many boats competing for crabs. This new system deals out individual fishing quotes to boats based on participating and catch history.

The most popular harvesting months are October through February, but the actual season when crabbers are allowed to catch crabs can last as little as four days or as long as one to two weeks. Once harvested, it takes approximately one week to move the Alaskan king crab from the Bering Sea to local markets.

It is only during this time that Chef Gould serves the crab in her restaurant, overnight shipping the product straight from Alaska to ensure peak freshness.

In recent years, there has been a flood of foreign caught crab, but for consumers interested in sustainability, foreign crab is caught without much regulation. (See sidebar on resources for applying sustainable practices.)

“I realized the danger of buying foreign crab, especially from Russia,” Chef Gould says, noting they don’t follow the same regulations for sustainability but yet still import back into the U.S. “Our government is doing a great job at regulating the fishing industry and has helped Alaska’s crab population grow. Unfortunately, not all governments maintain such high standards.”

Growing Toward The Future

When Chef Gould is not preparing for king crab season, she is working at making Canoe a special place. She recently created an “Edible Garden” education dinner series in the overgrown space between the restaurant and the Chattahoochee River. Tomatoes, radishes and broccoli punctuate the beds while cucumbers, squash and eggplant wind their way through V-shaped trellises throughout the 2,000 square feet of 12 raised gardening beds.

Nearby, remnants of an eastern red cedar that had fallen during a tornado on a century-old Georgia farm has been transformed into a custom table that seats 22 guests. With the Chattahoochee River lazily wandering past, it’s the perfect setting for Chef Gould’s dinner series concept.

Chef Gould’s natural talent allows her passionate sensibility to be infused into all her dishes. Her recent invitation to cook at the James Beard House proves Chef Gould has come into her own. “As I think of new dishes, I can actually taste the flavors in my head,” she says. “Finding the freshest ingredients, respecting their flavors and applying solid cooking techniques in the kitchen is how they come to life.” In 2008, Chef Gould traveled to Alaska to observe how king crabs are caught, riding on the boat with fishermen and learning the importance of sustainability within the seafood industry.

Tips on How Operators Can Practice Sustainability

By Brodie Lang, Director of Purchasing for Concentrics Restaurants

•  Buy directly from the source when you are able. You can get great seafood directly from individual fishermen or small processors at the fishing grounds. A search on the Internet and a few phone calls can lead you to wonderful fishermen who are willing to be direct marketers.

•  Set up accounts with FedEx or use suppliers who are known shippers on major airlines so you can get the freshest seafood just hours out of the water, skipping the middle man. It is a little more work but well worth it for the product quality – and the story you can tell about the fishermen and community who caught the fish.

•  Be loyal to your suppliers. Build good relationships with your fishermen or processor and they will take good care of you. When you flip-flop to save pennies, they will not take care of you when you are desperate for product.

•  If you are unsure about the sustainability of a fishery or type of fish, use resources from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Blue Ocean Institute or the Marine Stewardship Council. The more research you do, the better able you will be to source sustainable seafood.

•  If wild, sustainable fish is a priority for you, then get involved in the communities where your fish is caught. Go visit, if possible, share your menus with the fishermen, help them build a market for their products in your area, talk to your customers about how you source your seafood and truly try to build close relationships.

Additional Resources

• Marine Stewardship Council: www.msc.org
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: www.montereybayaquarium.org
• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: www.alaskaseafood.org
• Blue Ocean Institute: www.blueocean.org

September, 2009

By Michelle Duke

“A chef who cares enough about the food to guard its character with psychotic tendencies,” says Liam’s Restaurant’s website. A fitting description for Chef Scott Foster, whose enthusiasm for the artistry of food resonates in the keen focus he places on finding the finest sustainably sourced ingredients for Liam’s Restaurant’s seasonal menu.

Chef Foster’s passion for food has led him to Thomasville’s historic downtown district, where he and his wife, Rhonda, have operated Liam’s Restaurant since 2002.

Digging Up a Passion for Food

The road to Thomasville started like many in the industry, with a job washing dishes at a southwest Florida resort when he was 18.

“I went to work there, and I was simply amazed by watching the chefs – just the energy and the whole feel of the restaurant itself was just completely amazing,” he says. “It just sucked me in. Right then and there I knew I wanted to do it.”

After working in the industry for four more years, he completed a food management degree at Charlotte Technical Institute in Port Charlotte, FL. He went on from there to complete an apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation.

“I did a three-year apprenticeship program and studied under certified chefs,” he says. “I had to have 6,000 hours of on-the-job training to go through the program.”

Chef Foster’s skills were honed even more in Boca Grande, FL, the small township of the exclusive Gasparillo Island. While on the island, he continued  to develop his passion for superior ingredients.

“It really helped out. Since they got top dollar for their food, they were always able to bring in the prettiest ingredients.”

Having worked mainly in seafood in the early stages of his career, Chef Foster struggled at first to find his individual culinary style.

“I had to dig deep and find out who I was as a chef and which way I really wanted to go,” he recalls. “What I found out was I really enjoyed more of the smaller farmto- table-style cookery – sourcing from not only just local, but also from small farms across the country.”

Knowing exactly where his produce comes from and what goes into his meats was part of the allure.

“I was able to look at how they were raising the animals and the ingredients that were going back into the animals. It was just, to me, a gorgeous product,” he says. “It took a lot more weight off my shoulders as a chef because the ingredients already have so much going on.”

With this philosophy in mind, Chef Foster focuses on creating dishes with a simple plate at Liam’s Restaurant, which is named after his son. He believes in using only four or five ingredients at the most, allowing each component to speak for itself.

“I try not to manipulate the ingredients into something it would never be,” he says. “I always refer to a saying, ‘you can turn food into garbage, but you can’t take garbage and turn it into food.’ As a chef, there is always so much you can do to certain ingredients, but you’re never going to get past a certain point.

“By buying these ingredients that are just phenomenal, I’m able to bring [the dishes] up to a whole other level. At the same time, I have to represent those ingredients and not destroy them – and that’s so easy to do as well.”

Cooking in Thomasville

When he opened Liam’s Restaurant, Chef Foster and Rhonda, who also has an extensive background in the restaurant industry, decided they were at the point in their lives where they wanted to run a restaurant on their own.

“We wanted to be completely owneroperators, completely hands on,” he says. “I’m a working chef, and I really love being on the line. I come in at 7 o’clock every morning and I don’t get out of here sometimes until 11 at night.”

The interior of Liam’s Restaurant has a homey atmosphere and was designed to keep the charm of the building’s early 1900s character. Local artwork is displayed on the walls, which is an appropriate companion to the artistry of Chef Foster’s seasonal dishes that he creates in an open kitchen.

“The open kitchen allows the customer to see us working, so they can look into the kitchen and ask questions,” he says. “It creates more of that intimacy between the customer, the chef and the guys in the kitchen.”

At Liam’s Restaurant, Chef Foster focuses on seasonal menus created from small artisanal producers and serves only sustainably sourced organic foods. He keeps a very small menu but makes subtle changes – sometimes every week – depending on the seasonality of the ingredients.

“Right now, the local blueberries have just tapered out, but we’ve got the local figs coming in season. You only get them for four to six weeks, and then they are out,” Chef Foster says. “Local ingredients like that are vine ripe and brought to the farmer’s market, and that’s what I really love.”

Chef Foster makes sure to give praise to Rhonda who studied small, handcrafted farmstead cheese from around the world. Her passion for cheese is highlighted year-round at Liam’s Restaurant, which features several cheeses on its menu, including artisanal cheeses from nearby Sweet Grass Dairy.

The pair also focuses on educating their customers about the various types of cheeses and the cheese-making process. The restaurant hosts cheese tastings and winemakers dinners once a month to highlight wines and small craft beers from around the world to pair with the cheeses.

“There’s a uniqueness to it. We try to create great food and bring in the wines to create a wonderful atmosphere and tie it all together.”

Chef Foster likes to expand the palate of his south Georgia customers, some of who rarely get to experience dishes outside the realm of classic Southern cuisine. To do so, he and his wife expand their own palate by traveling around the country, experiencing the work of other chefs and bringing back fresh and new ideas to Thomasville.

“We love food, and we plan our trips basically around our dining itinerary,” he says. “It’s hard for us to go somewhere where there’s not great food. We want to hit those restaurants and see what’s going on and experience everything, and that’s what keeps us fresh.”

Chef Foster sees the importance in also including his restaurant staff in these travels.

“A lot of my staff has been here nearly since I opened up, and that’s what’s really great about it,” he says. “They’ve been a part of the process, and we travel together so they experience food with us. It sharpens their skills, and that makes us a better restaurant. They’re experiencing these things on their own, and that’s what we love to do.”

Continually educating his staff and his customers on the artistry of the farm-totable concept, Chef Foster has created an atmosphere at Liam’s Restaurant where it is clear that the focus is not only on the meticulously chosen ingredients that go into the dishes, but also on creating a uniquely distinct dining experience.

September, 2009

By Jami Curley

Across the country, the restaurant industry is rife with household names that got their start right here in Georgia. From Zaxby’s and Waffle House to Chik-fil-A and Atlanta Bread Company, Georgia has long been the birthplace of restaurants that offer diners beyond its borders a taste of the fresh, homey cooking that defines the South, at prices that place the experience firmly within reach of the purse strings of any consumer.

Now Georgia, and the Atlanta metro area in particular, is proving it has the stuff to be attractive to upscale restaurant concepts and familiar chains seeking to expand their names and try out some fresh ideas.

Celebrity chef and host of TV’s Top Chef Tom Colicchio chose Atlanta as a premium location for the expansion of his Craft fine dining restaurants. In 2008, he opened branches of Craft and Craftbar (a somewhat more relaxed expression of the concept) right next door to one another in the Mansion on Peachtree in Atlanta’s Buckhead area. In the same year, celebrity chef and restaurateur Jean- Georges Vongerichten, through his relationship with Starwood hotels, brought the Asian-inspired Spice Market concept and the broader menu of Market to the W hotels in Midtown and Buckhead, respectively.

While the two restaurant moguls have somewhat different approaches to food, the climate of Georgia’s capital city is proving ripe for sustaining vibrant outposts of each of these sweeping fine dining empires.

A crucial element in a successful expansion effort is the placement of personnel. The name behind the name brand cannot be everywhere at once, and so, to ensure that the standards of the brand are upheld to the highest degree, the selection of a representative can make all the difference. Chef Colicchio chose from among his staff Chef Kevin Maxey to head up the Atlanta Craft and Craftbar kitchens, relocating him from a three-year stint at Craft in Dallas. Though a recent transplant to the Atlanta market, Chef Maxey has an intimate knowledge of the Craft concept and its brand standards.

“At Craft, the concept is the menu,” says Chef Maxey. “The entire menu exists as a result of localization.”

Chef Vongerichten, on the other hand, selected a local legend, Chef Ian Winslade of Bluepointe restaurant fame. Chef Winslade has been prominent in the Atlanta restaurant scene for the past 15 years, and uses his unique insights into the ebb and flow of the restaurant business in Georgia to guide Atlanta’s versions of Spice Market and Market to success.

“Atlanta has always been considered a capital of the Southeast,” Chef Winslade says. “A lot of people gravitate here to be in a metropolis. I think of Atlanta as a regional food hub. I think we’re on par here with Chicago, even Los Angeles.”

At the same time, more traditional franchisers, such as the Baskin-Robbins Corporation, are also finding Georgia to be fertile ground for growth, with more than 60 new stores planned for the Atlanta area and surrounding regions. The new stores are part of a much larger expansion plan for the entire Southeast.

“Atlanta and Georgia overall are very strategic crossroads in the Southern market,” says Salman Siddiqui, Vice President of Global Business Development for Baskin- Robbins. “We are solidly in the Virginia and Washington, DC, area, but creating a strong presence in Georgia allows us a base to expand further south into Florida and westward into Alabama.”

Baskin-Robbins is also cautious to select excellent candidates for its franchises. Managers provide potential franchisees with every opportunity to ask questions and work closely with them through business and marketing plans at the outset of the process. But after the discovery phase, there comes the financial review to ensure that new members of the franchise family are not going to scoop up more debt than they can lick.

“Financial review is used to make sure that the investment you are trying to make has a good likelihood of going through, that you will really be able to [succeed in] the business that you are getting into,” says Siddiqui.

Georgia’s climate also plays a part in attracting the big players in the restaurant industry. The long growing season and burgeoning green market scene are proving to be key assets as restaurateurs continue to develop their commitment to localization, organics and greening practices.

“The restaurant scene is amazing here,” says Chef Maxey. “There seems to be a good growing climate, and there’s just a lot of beautiful produce and great local products.”

“In the last six to eight years, there’s grown up a big organic movement now in Georgia,” says Chef Winslade. “With so many good products available, and [the fact] that you can get [ingredients] fairly reasonably and quickly, those are the main reasons the food scene has really exploded here.”

“Georgia, Florida, this is the warm belt. This is where our customer base lives,” says Siddiqui.

In addition, as the population of Georgia and metro Atlanta has become more diverse and well traveled, they begin to demand new and more interesting dining concepts.

Fresh ingredients, new flavor profiles and new preparation techniques are not only welcome, but also sought after, making it much easier to unveil a Southern outpost of a multistar dining experience once only available in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Very few changes need to be made in the cuisine to accommodate the local palate because the local expectations have grown so much broader.

For Chef Maxey, it’s all about technique. “We see product that is really nice, and that is what drives the menu. In New York, we might get a really great covolo nero [a black Tuscan cabbage]. Let’s say we braise it, get a sweet-savory flavor going on it. Well, down here we’ll take that same technique and apply it to a more local product, like a kale or or spicy red mustard green.”

“This city has grown immensely in the last 10 to 15 years, and it has a more diverse population with a more discerning palate, as regards to when, what and how they want to eat,” says Chef Winslade.

His adjustments to Spice Market’s concept are limited to slightly decreasing the level of heat in the menu. “People in the South are a bit more scared of spices, perhaps. Once they are introduced to it [at Spice Market], I think they accept it’s not going to bite your head off; it’s more about the flavor. But I think people here are more receptive than ever to a concept like Spice Market.”

A June 2009 report issued by the National Restaurant Association showed a general optimism in the overall outlook of the industry, with 34% of operators expressing expectations that conditions will improve within six months. And despite a statewide economic slump in which the current unemployment rate in Georgia hovers around 10%, there are signs that the restaurant industry here is holding its own.

According to figures from the Georgia Department of Community Health, the number of new foodservice permits issued for 2008 are only down about 3% from 2007, when 2,750 permits for new foodservice were issued, the highest figure for the previous five years. Still, expansion into Georgia is not without its challenges, especially in this economy.

“There have been signs things will improve, but the year to date has not been stellar,” says Chef Winslade. “We’re 10+% off, so it’s significant. We’re feeling it, but then so is everyone in our business.”

“Fortunately, with demand being down across the board with a lot of goods, food prices have been fairly low to consistent with what they had been,” says Chef Maxey.

With Craft and Craftbar occupying the same space, Chef Maxey feels they are succeeding at servicing customers across a variety of price points. “This economy makes us cautious, of course. We’re watching our controllable expenses very carefully. We have had a bit of a slowdown this summer, but people keep telling us that that is normal for Atlanta.”

The uncertainty of the current times can make the idea of expansion or franchising seem unrealistic, but there are encouraging indicators for small businesses that are thinking of taking the plunge. Most large franchisers offer some help with locating stable loan sources.

“In a tough economy,” says Siddiqui, “banking standards are tougher, so it is harder to get qualified for loans. People coming into our system find that we have relationships with banks who understand our business models.”

A financial institution that understands the ins and outs of a proposed franchise is going to be more willing to extend a loan. Also, because demand is down, the prices of many elements are open to negotiation.

“If you can afford it,” says Chef Winslade, “I think this is the optimum time [to expand] because you can get everything at a discount. Restaurant space is very reasonable; people are willing to make deals with you on construction. Now is the time, because the signs point to us pulling out of the recession. If you can get in cheaply now, I think in six, eight months, maybe a year, you are going to be sitting on a great place.”

“Instead of keeping money in reserve funds or stocks, they can put that money in their own stores,” says Siddiqui. “If they pick the right site and have a franchise with marketing power behind it, this can be a strong and compelling proposition for them.”

Restaurants New To Georgia

From upscale to fast food, more and more restaurants are moving onto Georgia turf. Here are a few of the more recent ones:

Craft: 3376 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, (404) 995-7580
Other branches: New York, Dallas, Los Angeles

Craftbar: 3375 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, (404) 995-7580
Other branches: New York, Los Angeles

Spice Market: 188 14th Street NE, Atlanta, (404) 549-5450
Other branches: New York City, Istanbul, Doha (Qatar)

Market: 3377 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, (404) 523-3600
Other branches: Paris

BLT Steak Atlanta: 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, (404)
577-7601
Other branches: New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles,
Miami, Hong Kong, Charlotte

Il Mulino New York-Atlanta: 191 Peachtree Street, Atlanta,
(404) 524-5777
Other branches: New York City, Washington, DC, Las Vegas,
Chicago, Atlantic City, Aspen, Miami, San Juan, Tokyo

Straits Atlanta: 793 Juniper Street, Atlanta, (404) 877-1283
Other branches: San Francisco, Burlingame, San Jose, Houston

RA Sushi: 1080 Peachtree St., Atlanta, (404) 267-0114
Other locations: Multiple locations in California, Florida, Illinois
and Arizona; Las Vegas, Baltimore, Houston and Dallas

EVOS : 885 Peachtree St., Ste. 2, Atlanta, (404) 252-4022
Other locations: Tampa, Chapel Hill, San Luis Obispo, CA