Celebrated Atlanta and Athens chef Ted Lahey has joined MAD Hospitality as chef de cuisine, bringing experience from some of Georgia’s most acclaimed restaurants to the hospitality group’s growing collection of chef-driven concepts in Madison.
Lahey will help lead The Dining Room and collaborate across MAD Hospitality’s culinary portfolio as the group continues to drive Madison’s growing culinary scene.
An Athens native, Lahey helped open Roswell restaurants Table & Main and Osteria Mattone and previously held roles at Atlanta’s South City Kitchen and Pricci as well as Athens’ Five & Ten. Most recently, he helped launch Preacher Green’s in Athens. His career also includes working under Michelin-starred chef Michael White at Fiamma in New York City.
“Chef Ted brings tremendous culinary experience, strong leadership, and most importantly, a deep understanding of hospitality culture, which we’re building here in Madison,” MAD Hospitality founder Preston Snyder says. “He understands the standards of exceptional fine dining and the importance of elevating dishes while also making them feel approachable.”
His debut will come during a special dinner series at The Dining Room in Madison from August 20–22 featuring Atlanta chef Shaun Doty, who serves as consulting chef for The Dining Room; MAD Hospitality’s summer Chef in Residence Daniel Chance; Executive Pastry Chef Edouard Fenouil, who helms The Patisserie on Main and works across the group’s concepts, which also include Hart & Crown Tavern, Betty Gene’s Pop Up at Buggy Works and The Sinclair; and Michael McNeill, Georgia’s only Master Sommelier.
The dinner series reunites Doty, McNeill and Snyder, who first worked together under legendary chef Günter Seeger at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The experience helped shape their careers and Atlanta’s emergence as a nationally recognized fine-dining destination.
During the August dinner series, Doty will create and prepare an exclusive menu with Lahey, Fenouil and Chance, who has worked in leading Atlanta restaurants, including Bacchanalia, Watchman’s Seafood & Spirits, Two Urban Licks and La Grotta. McNeill, a consultant on MAD Hospitality’s wine program, will select the wine pairings.
Fenouil previously worked with Doty at Mumbo Jumbo and MidCity Cuisine before serving as executive pastry chef for James Beard Award-winning chef Joël Antunes at JOËL. His Atlanta résumé also includes Alon’s Bakery & Market in Morningside and St. Germain French Cafe & Bakery.
The dinner series illustrates how relationships and standards forged in Atlanta’s and Athens’ most influential kitchens are now fueling an ambitious culinary scene in Madison, one hour east of Atlanta.
