Since moving to Atlanta in 2010 to launch a bakery, Little Tart owner Sarah O’Brien, 40, has been on a mission: to create a successful business, provide sustainable careers for her employees and give back to the community. From Little Tart’s start selling pastries at a local farmers market, O’Brien has seen slow and steady growth over the years. She opened a … [Read more...] about 2022 Giving Kitchen Superstar: Sarah O’Brien
Profiles
2022 Giving Kitchen Superstar: Brian Bullock
Taking care of family is important to Brian Bullock. Not just his own family, but his restaurant family as well. In fact, his love of the industry began in childhood where his family home was the central gathering place for entertaining. His interest in hospitality took root, and after completing his culinary studies at Johnson & Wales, Bullock went on to complete … [Read more...] about 2022 Giving Kitchen Superstar: Brian Bullock
2021 Rising Star Christian Bowdoin
General Manager, MTH Pizza in Symrna At only 11 years old, an age when most kids wouldn’t dream of working, Christian Bowdoin voluntarily bussed tables at a family friend’s restaurant as an extra set of helping hands. When she could legally work, she got a hostess gig at the Wing Café in Marietta. She then quickly worked her way through nearly every front-of-house position … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Christian Bowdoin
2021 Rising Star Sowmya Burugu
Bar Director and Co-owner, Café Lily in Decatur For Sowmya Burugu, 34, growing up in India meant being surrounded by spices and ingredients from different regions in Asia. At Café Lily, she uses those ingredients – often unknown to American palates – to create unique and balanced cocktails. After moving to the U.S. in 2008 to get her master’s, Sowmya worked in a … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Sowmya Burugu
2021 Rising Star Robert Butts
Executive Chef, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in Atlanta Focused, driven and competitive. Three words that fit Robert Butts like a tailored chef’s jacket. Since quitting his job at a Charlotte news station seven years ago to go to culinary school, Robert, 30, has been on a mission. Despite friends and family who thought he was crazy, he quickly discovered there was a … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Robert Butts
2021 Rising Star Johnny Farrow
Chief Operating Officer, Grindhouse Killer Burgers in Atlanta What do you do if you’re a 14-year-old who wants to buy a car when he turns 16? If you’re Johnny Farrow, you get a job after school doing prep work at a restaurant. Little did young Johnny know, he had just launched a successful career. Early on, Johnny discovered the work came naturally to … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Johnny Farrow
2021 Rising Star Matthew Gibbons
General Manager & Beverage Director, Nick's Westside in Decatur Matthew Gibbons, 28, has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. His first job in the hospitality industry was at the beginning of the burgeoning craft coffee craze –as a 17-year-old barista working in Rome, Ga. Soon he was entering – and winning – coffee tasting competitions and … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Matthew Gibbons
2021 Rising Star Kenny Nguyen
Executive Chef, The Expat in Athens Kenny Nguyen, 28, brings his talents and enthusiasm for cooking to The Expat’s kitchen in Athens, where he's served as Executive Chef since the restaurant’s COVID-19 hibernation reemergence. But Nguyen found himself in the kitchen long before his current position. “I started getting in trouble a lot as a kid and being shoved into a … [Read more...] about 2021 Rising Star Kenny Nguyen
