Meet a 2020 Rising Star: Joey Ward

Executive Chef and Owner, Southern Belle and Georgia Boy, Atlanta

At five years old, most kids dreamed of being astronauts and policemen. Joey Ward dreamed of being a chef.

In hot pursuit of his childhood dreams, Ward worked his way up from a busboy at a pizza place to head chef. Without slowing down, Ward grasped the fundamentals of classic French cooking to gain a solid base of professionalism and skills at Cherokee Town and Country Club.

Ward then followed his fierce passion to the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated as one of the youngest in his class. He then embarked on a journey to explore different fields to find the job that best suited him, including a private country club spot, catering and opening at the St. Regis Atlanta Hotel.

Eventually, Ward, 34, connected with his mentor and friend, Kevin Gillespie, who offered him a job at his restaurant Woodfire Grill, where he fell in love with the privately-owned restaurant.

“I just loved the creative freedom,” Ward says. “And really the sense of family and camaraderie that came with [a] smaller team like that.”

Inspired by the close-knit crew and creative freedom, Ward’s desire to open his place blossomed. Before he could do that, though, he took on his first Executive Chef role at the now-closed restaurant H. Harper Station, then returned to work with Gillespie at his dim-sum style restaurant, Gunshow.

Gunshow’s unique concept gave all of the chefs creative freedom and the opportunity to present their dishes directly to the customer. Ward loved it. He settled in as Executive Chef for seven years before leaving to open his restaurants.

With Gillespie’s guidance and blessing, Ward opened Southern Belle and the adjoining Georgia Boy, which is reservation only and only accessible through a secret passage in Southern Belle, in late 2019. Although Ward temporarily closed the two restaurants this winter due to the pandemic, he is hopeful about the future and plans to reopen them once it is safe and financially feasible to do so.

Inspired by Gunshow’s out-of-the-box sensory experience, Ward sought to incorporate a similar concept in Georgia Boy.

“If I could lure them into this sense of comfort in the first seating area, the library room, then take them through this secret passage,” Ward says, “all of a sudden they’re excited, they’re eager to get to the next thing.”

His inventive dishes, such as a Vietnamese-style shrimp and “grits” – Carolina Gold rice congee – with crispy shallot and noc cham, or the Carolina trout with farro, capers, scuppernongs, chanterelle mushrooms with brown butter and a roasted diver scallop emulsion, celebrates the diverse mix of cultures that make Atlanta’s food scene so vibrant.

“Atlanta is a complicated place. It has deep southern roots, … but at the same time it’s a modern metropolis [with] a melting pot of cultures,” Ward says. “My thought was to put forward the cultures, cuisines and influences from around the world that all come together to make Atlanta this great place.” – HH