When Richard Wilson started in the industry 10 years ago, his chef at Superica’s Krog Street location told him a bit of a fable. Anyone who started with the company as a dishwasher and made it to Executive Chef would be given a “Golden Spoon.”
Up until that point, Wilson had just been working different sorts of jobs around the Atlanta area: warehouse worker, forklift operator. “Basically, anything that would pay the bills,” he says, “but it never felt like home.”
He applied at Superica as a dishwasher, not knowing anything about the restaurant industry and having no idea that he would find his new calling. “It caught me completely off guard,” he says, “But I hear that’s how love happens.”
Soon, his chef offered him an opportunity to work the line making tortillas. “I just kept going. I never stopped learning. I fell in love with the firewood grill. That was home. I never thought it was something I would be doing, but on Friday night with a group of young chefs at 7:30 p.m. slinging fajitas—there’s no place I’d rather be.”
Wilson learned every station of Superica’s line over the next two-and-a-half years, before moving to Superica Avalon, where he was promoted to sous chef within three months. His dedication to learning both on and off the job propelled him to Executive Chef at Superica Buckhead, where he runs the brand’s highest volume kitchen, routinely managing up to 1,000 covers on a busy Saturday.
He credits many mentors along the way, including his former Chef Tina Aleandri, former General Manager Kelly Sollinger and Rocket Farm Restaurants’ former COO Toby Franklin. “They have all shown me so much love and support, not just in kitchens but also in life.”
Wilson says his favorite thing about the industry is how it brings people together that may not interact otherwise. “People who would never talk to each other outside of this restaurant have met and been friends for 9+ years. BOH and FOH, this industry brings misfits and scholars together, building bonds that can’t be broken.”
Wilson is known in his restaurant for sharing his gained knowledge, guiding others up the way he was encouraged himself. “Honestly, I challenge them often to be better than they were yesterday. I challenge them to be creative, and to teach as they go. Verbally, we communicate constantly. I listen to my team, and we practice support for your fellow chef.”
While Wilson says he isn’t sure what his future in the industry may entail, he knows he is not done growing. “I want to keep sharpening my skills, maybe open something of my own one day—but I’m not rushing it. I’ve seen what happens when people jump too early.” He adds, “Right now, it’s about getting better, building strong teams and making sure I’m leaving something behind in the people I train.”
His one piece of unfinished business in his journey from the dish room to the kitchen’s helm? “I wanted it, but I never did get that spoon.”
Read More About the Other 2026 Rising Stars
Michaela Finlayson
Frank Fodor
Austin Goetzman
Remy Loet
Sebastián Montero-Hernández
Alexandria Rogers
Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Georgia Natural Gas, and table sponsors, Society Insurance and Savannah Distributing, for making this event possible:
Presenting Sponsor
Table Sponsors
Savannah Distributing and Society Insurance
