By Christy Simo Andrés Loaiza has a strong belief system that guides his work as general manager and head sommelier at the award-winning Aria in Buckhead. “Our role at Aria is defined not only by what we do but most importantly by what we believe,” he says. “We believe in excellence. We believe in consistency. We believe in people and gracious hospitality. We ... Continue Reading
The East Heads South
From Laotian and Filipino to Korean and Taiwanese, more cultures and their foodways are being represented across Georgia’s restaurant landscape By Nancy Wood The explosion of the Asian food craze can be attributed to several factors – a strong demographic shift in the number of Asian-Americans living in the U.S., the upswing in Millennials and Gen Z ... Continue Reading
Meherwan Irani, 2019 GRACE Diversity Leadership Winner
By Nancy Walker “To be in the service industry means to actually be of service.” While many may espouse this philosophy, one restaurateur in Atlanta is living it: Meherwan Irani, CEO, executive chef and founder of Chai Pani Restaurant Group. Just a decade ago, the native of India not only decided to change the perception of Indian food in the United States, he began a ... Continue Reading
Taco Mac: GRACE 2020 Restaurateur of the Year: Large/Corporate
By Nancy Wood Long before craft beer and microbreweries were all the rage, there was Taco Mac. The truth is, if you’ve lived in the Atlanta area for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard of the chain’s unique atmosphere – you may even be a proud holder of a Brewniversity card. Since 1979, when two Buffalo, N.Y., friends staked their claim at a taco stand on ... Continue Reading
Q&A with Canoe Executive Chef Matthew Basford
By Aja Arnold Matthew Basford always knew he was headed for a career in the restaurant business ever since he took his first restaurant job as a teenager in his native Australia. Once he committed to his culinary journey, he won second Place in Tasting Australia two years in a row and placed in the Nestle Junior Chefs of Australia Competition, which honors the top ... Continue Reading
2019 Rising Stars
By Aja Arnold and Nancy Wood One of the things that makes the restaurant industry so unique is that anyone can start with zero experience and, through hard work and a willingness to learn, rise through the ranks to the top. That belief is evident with this year’s group of Rising Stars. The program, in its third year, recognizes those in the industry who are going above ... Continue Reading
The Farmer and the Chef
Farm-to-table is not just a catchphrase – it’s the solid foundation on which farmers and chefs forge partnerships to put good food on the table. By Lia Picard The farm-to-table movement has been around for years but remains alluring as ever for diners. As Georgians, we’re lucky to live in a state that can support all kinds of produce. From potatoes in the fall to okra in ... Continue Reading
2018 GRACE Diversity Leadership Award: Eddie Hernandez
by Candice Dyer Eddie Hernandez is part of a generation of immigrants who landed in the American South, where they explore their culinary roots using locally sourced ingredients. His restaurant, Taqueria del Sol, specializes in playful, flavorful mashups of Mexican food with homegrown fare. His spicy turnip greens, Memphis pork barbecue tacos and weekly blue plate ... Continue Reading
Hitting the Sweet Spot
Take a look at some of the pastry and dessert trends to keep an eye out for on restaurant menus across Georgia. By Candice Dyer Look on any menu in Georgia and you’ll probably notice there’s been a renaissance with desserts. While chocolate will forever remain tried and true, the segment is going in some different directions. Pastry chefs are stretching past conventions and ... Continue Reading
2018 GRACE Restaurateur of the Year: Small/Independent: Federico Castellucci III
By Nancy Wood Federico Castellucci III may have had a fleeting thought of becoming an attorney, but the pull of the family business was too strong to resist. Steeped in tradition with Italian and Greek roots, the Castellucci dynasty has grown exponentially since Federico Castellucci graduated from Cornell University and returned to Atlanta to help his father run the first of ... Continue Reading
Gerry Klaskala
For Gerry Klaskala, the kitchen is where art and food collide. In high school, Klaskala was on a path for fine art school when he stumbled upon his true calling while working at a restaurant. “The chef that I worked with, he was into doing ice carvings and buffet work and pulled sugar. ... I said that’s really cool. Can you teach me this stuff?,” Klaskala recalls. “And he ... Continue Reading
Q & A: Zach Meloy
Chef and Co-owner of Better Half By Lia Picard Atlanta native Zachary Meloy became smitten with food and the restaurant world while working in Birmingham as a busboy. Eventually he and his wife, Cristina, opened a restaurant in her native Costa Rica before moving back to Atlanta. They started PushStart Kitchen, a supper club, in 2011 at the Goat Farm and built a base of ... Continue Reading
2018 Georgia Grown Chefs
GRA and Georgia Department of Agriculture Announce New Crop of Chefs at Taste of Georgia Event In February, the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA), in partnership with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, announced the 2018 Georgia Grown chefs. These six chefs join the roster of 27 other Georgia Grown Executive Chefs. Now in its seventh year, the Georgia Grown Executive ... Continue Reading
Game’s On: Fox Bros. BBQ
By Kenna Simmons Things Jonathan Fox, one-half of Fox Bros. BBQ in Atlanta, wishes he’d known about opening up a concessionaire in the old Georgia Dome: They needed six people there all the time to staff six point-of- sale stations. They needed both a front and back of the house. Using existing staff was hard without running into overtime. “It turned out to be really just like ... Continue Reading
Q&A: Scott Serpas, Chef and Owner of Serpas True Food
By Nancy Wood A Louisiana native, Scott Serpas has been cooking up good food almost his whole life. Part of a large family, he found he liked spending time in the kitchen growing up – then later found he liked working in a restaurant even more. Serpas opened his own Atlanta restaurant, Serpas True Food, in 2009. That same year, the restaurant was named one of the 10 “Best ... Continue Reading
