Georgia's Future Restaurant Leaders The 2026 Restaurant Informer Rising Stars have been selected. Look for them in the upcoming May newsletter and on RestaurantInformer.com where they will be featured. Restaurant Informer will host a celebration lunch to honor these deserving Rising Stars. Rising Star nominees are age 35 and younger. They can work BOH or FOH – they can … [Read more...] about Restaurant Informer’s 2026 Rising Stars
Rising Stars
2025 Rising Stars Celebrated in Style
The Rising Stars celebration lunch was held at Zakia restaurant in Buckhead on June 25. In a beautiful setting, each of the 2025 Rising Stars was honored and presented with a framed picture of the article written about them in Restaurant Informer. Two past Rising Stars, Pepe Fundora of Casa Nuova restaurant and Laura Orellana Martin of Osteria Mattone restaurant joined the … [Read more...] about 2025 Rising Stars Celebrated in Style
Rising Stars 2025: Cari Fundora
Director of Marketing and Operations, Casa Nuova Italian Restaurant, Alpharetta By Toby Bloomberg "The restaurant is my second home," says Cari Fundora. Cari represents the next generation of hospitality leadership: blending tradition with innovation while maintaining unwavering commitment to staff, guests, and community. Her parents, Cuban immigrants, opened Casa Nuova in … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Cari Fundora
Rising Stars 2025: Jay Kloepfer
Co-owner GM, Marti’s at Midday, Atlanta By Nancy Woods During the COVID pandemic in 2020, Jay Kloepfer was faced with an unexpected life change. After completing a business degree at the University of North Georgia, the Athens native had forged a career as a SCUBA and sailing instructor for 12 years. However, while on a boat in Antigua in 2020, he learned of the untimely … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Jay Kloepfer
Rising Stars 2025: Maddy Judd
Dining Room Manager, Osteria Mattone, Atlanta By Lara Creasy Maddy Judd started her restaurant career at a family-owned tapas place during college. “The restaurant was only about two football fields away from my apartment, so it was, truthfully, a choice made based on proximity,” she says. However, she soon realized that the community created within the four walls of a … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Maddy Judd
Rising Stars 2025: Lauren Burling
General Manager, Tio Lucho’s, Atlanta By Toby Bloomberg Lauren Burling stepped into a perfect storm when she accepted the position of general manager at the acclaimed Poncey-Highland restaurant, Tio Lucho. Chef-owner Arnaldo Castillo had been nominated for a James Beard Award, welcomed a new baby, and lost his GM, all while navigating higher-than-normal staff turnover … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Lauren Burling
Rising Stars 2025: Lorenzo Masini
General Manager, Buena Vida Tapas, Atlanta By Nancy Woods It’s not hard to see how Lorenzo Masini found his passion for hospitality and food. A native of Italy, he grew up in Rimini, an international tourist destination and seaside resort filled with hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs. While his parent’s businesses – a bakery and a drycleaner – were connected to the … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Lorenzo Masini
Rising Stars 2025: Brian Seo
General Manager, Ruby Chow’s, Atlanta By Lara Creasy Brian Seo started out in hospitality, like many others, when a college friend was managing a restaurant and needed some help. “I had no idea that this part-time opportunity would evolve into a transformative and progressive career trajectory that would completely change my life,” he says. He started as host, then … [Read more...] about Rising Stars 2025: Brian Seo
