Coalition Food & Beverage, Alpharetta
Table & Main, Roswell
Woolery “Woody” BackWhen he was a high school-aged server at Uno Pizzeria & Grill, the camaraderie of the kitchen staff helped Woody Back realize he belonged in the back of the house. “I saw what they were doing and cooking, and I wanted to be back there,” he says. “I’d cooked for my friends and parents quite a bit; it just came naturally to me.”
The 40 year old is now Executive Chef at Table & Main in Roswell and Executive Chef and Partner at the new Coalition Food & Beverage in Alpharetta.
“Opening a new restaurant with Ryan Pernice is exciting, and making that transition from chef to restaurant owner is a big transition,” he says. It’s a dream realized. “I think this will be my end all be all,” he says of his future career plans. “I think as a restaurateur I’ll keep opening restaurants and see how they do.”
After graduating from Johnson & Wales, he worked at restaurants in Virginia and Georgia, including Craft, Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch. Back credits Chef Linton Hopkins with expanding his understanding of Southern cuisine.
“He really opened my eyes to the fact that it’s not just fried chicken,” he says. “It changes so much depending on the season. Plus there’s the whole Gullah culture, coastal cuisine, Louisiana cuisines” and other contributors.
Seasonal ingredients drive his menu, along with memories of childhood favorites. “I remember my grandma making soup beans or pinto beans for me,” he says. “I’d beg her to make those! She cooked them with ham hock and green onions.”
Raised in Syracuse, N.Y., he claims Southern roots through his Kentuckian mother. “My mom made fried chicken, collard greens and stuff like that,” he says. He now counts fried chicken as his signature dish, based on “as much as we sell!” – HP
