Little Sparrow
Photograph by Martha Williams
Food, Restaurants, & Chefs | Hospitality & Tourism | Legends
FOOD, RESTAURANTS, & CHEFS
Photograph by Getty/Paras Griffin
Alton Brown
Chef and TV Host
Alton Brown began his television career in college as a cameraman, then spent eight years directing TV commercials. He enrolled in culinary school in the early 1990s with the goal of making food shows. Today Brown has been on the Food Network nearly 20 years, most prominently as the writer, host, and showrunner of Good Eats. He’s hosted Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen, written 10 books on food and cooking, and toured three live culinary variety shows. In February, Brown’s 11th book Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations will be released by Gallery Books, and Brown kicks off his fourth and final live culinary variety show, Alton Brown Live: Last Bite, that will stop in 60 cities. A Marietta resident, Brown has won two James Beard Awards and a Peabody. He and his wife, designer Elizabeth Ingram, created the popular Quarantine Quitchen YouTube series during the pandemic.
EDUCATION New England Culinary Institute, University of Georgia
HIDDEN TALENT Fronts the Alton Brown Trio
HOBBIES Flying, scuba diving, motorcycles
Federico “Fred” Castellucci III
President and CEO
Castellucci Hospitality Group
Federico “Fred” Castellucci III is the president and CEO of Castellucci Hospitality Group. He has been working in the restaurant business his entire life, holding his first job as an 11-year-old in a bakery in Rhode Island. As a teenager, he held various roles in the family business before going on to study hospitality at Cornell University. Following graduation, he assumed the reins of the family business and has since expanded to open and operate: Mujõ, an Edomae-style sushiya that received one Michelin Star in 2023 and 2024 and was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America in 2023; three locations of The Iberian Pig including two in Atlanta and one in Nashville; 2024 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality Cooks & Soldiers, Double Zero, and Sugo. Additionally, Castellucci is actively involved as a mentor, adviser, and investor in various early-stage hospitality technology companies.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS FSR magazine’s 32 Rising Restaurant Stars (2020); Restaurateur of the Year at the GRACE Awards (2018); Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40 (2018); Atlanta Business Chronicle Small Business Person of the Year award in the Family-Owned Business Category (2018)
Aisha “Pinky” Cole
Founder and CEO
The Slutty Vegan
Bar Vegan
Bringing vegan options and food awareness to Atlanta’s West End has always been a life dream of Pinky Cole, founder and CEO of The Slutty Vegan. Opening the conversation on vegan food options for people who have never considered them in the community that has such a high prevalence of hypertension, cholesterol, obesity, and a host of other food-borne ailments, was momentous. Cole launched her business from her apartment on Instagram in July 2018. In a few weeks’ time, she was serving burgers from a food truck. By October, the first Slutty Vegan restaurant location opened to legendarily long lines of fans. Now, there are seven restaurants in Georgia. Additionally, Slutty Vegan restaurants are located in Birmingham, Alabama; Brooklyn and Harlem, New York; and Dallas, Texas. In 2021, she opened Bar Vegan, a restaurant and cocktail bar that has two locations in Ponce City Market and Lawrenceville. Prior to becoming a restauranteur, Cole was a casting director for Iyanla, Fix My Life and a senior producer for Paternity Court. The Jamaican American restauranteur’s first book Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind was released in 2022.
EDUCATION Clark Atlanta University
Sterling Coleman
Founder and CEO
SJAC Food Groups
Sterling Coleman is CEO of SJAC Food Groups. An experienced concession operator, he founded the company in 2001 and built it into the largest African American Zaxby’s licensee group. Currently, there are nine locations in metro Atlanta and nine in Oklahoma. Coleman owns the first Zaxby’s to reach the $4 million annual sales mark. Under Coleman’s leadership, SJAC is a committed community partner, extending companywide support to nonprofit and faith-based organizations, schools, youth groups, and law enforcement.
EDUCATION Tennessee State University
HOMETOWN St. Louis, Missouri
FIRST JOB My first real paycheck came when I worked at Brightside Saint Louis. Brightside focuses on improving the Saint Louis community’s quality of life by creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable neighborhood.
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE Starting a business while working through the dissolution of my previous marriage
Stephanie Fischer
President and CEO
Georgia Restaurant Association
With more than 25 years of hospitality experience, Stephanie Fischer was named the Georgia Restaurant Association’s new president and CEO in 2023, succeeding longtime president and CEO Karen Bremer. Fischer had already worked closely with Bremer and the GRA board of directors for six years. After joining the board in 2017, she was elected to the executive committee two years later and then served as chairman of the board in 2022. GRA serves as the unified voice for one of the largest industries in the state, representing more than 18,933 food-service and drinking places in Georgia, with total sales over $24.9 billion and more than 500,000 jobs. Fischer has spent her entire career in the hospitality industry, beginning at KFC during high school and culminating in her most recent role as the vice president of corporate operations of Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail Dining Division, where she led strategic planning and support of dining operations with a focus on new store openings, food safety, back-office systems, and the guest experience for more than 80 brands across 170 locations in 43 airports.
EDUCATION University of Hawaii, Stetson University (MBA)
Ford Fry
Chef and Owner
Ford Fry Restaurants
Ford Fry’s culinary inspirations cover many years and much of the country, from training at Vermont’s New England Culinary Institute to work as a fine-dining chef in Florida, Colorado, and California. A Texas native, Fry has a long list of Atlanta restaurants to his name—including BeetleCat, JCT Kitchen, King + Duke, Marcel, no. 246, Little Rey, the Optimist, St. Cecilia, Bar Blanc, Little Sparrow, and Superica—and has been featured in Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, and other publications. In 2023, Marcel was included as a recommended restaurant in the first-ever Atlanta Michelin guide, and in 2024, Superica was awarded a Bib Gourmand, and Marcel and Little Sparrow were included as recommended restaurants.
EDUCATION New England Culinary Institute
HOBBIES Playing and collecting guitar gear
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS I love the combo of pre- or post-Christmas skiing (current favorite is in Jackson Hole) and beaches of Mexico (Tulum).
NONPROFITS Georgia Organics, Giving Kitchen, Camp LIFE, Kula Project
Photograph by Patrick Heagney
Kevin Gillespie
Owner, Chef, Cookbook Author, and Speaker
Red Beard Restaurants
Chef and restaurateur Kevin Gillespie signed up to compete on Bravo’s Top Chef in 2009 to save Woodfire Grill, his acclaimed but financially struggling Atlanta restaurant. Today Gillespie’s brand continues to grow. His 2013 cookbook debut, Fire in My Belly, earned a James Beard Award nomination; Gillespie’s best known local restaurant is Gunshow in Glenwood Park. In 2023, Gunshow was included as a recommended restaurant in the first-ever Atlanta Michelin guide and was recommended again in 2024 alongside Nàdair, Gillespie’s latest restaurant which opened in March 2024.
EDUCATION Art Institute of Atlanta
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Gillespie was one of three finalists and a “fan favorite” on Top Chef. He was named a 2015 and 2017 semifinalist and 2016 finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED Join a gym and go three times a week. This came from my first culinary instructor. This is a very physically demanding job. I wish I had listened to him!
HIDDEN TALENT Voted best dancer in eighth grade
Photograph by Green Olive Media
Eddie Hernandez
Chief R&D and Executive Chef
Taqueria del Sol
Born in Monterey, Mexico, Eddie Hernandez learned to cook in his grandmother’s restaurants. At 16, he came to the United States with dreams of being a drummer; when that didn’t pan out, he found work in an Atlanta-area Mexican restaurant. There, Hernandez quickly made his mark, laying the groundwork for his business partnership with Taqueria del Sol CEO Mike Klank. The pair opened the first Taqueria del Sol on Atlanta’s Westside in 2000. In 2018, he released his first cookbook, Turnip Greens & Tortillas.
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK It chose me. One of the things about knowing how to cook is that you can feed yourself anything you want anytime.
HIDDEN TALENT I like to paint. It’s a stress relief for me. When I paint, I forget about everything.
NONPROFITS Hogs for the Cause, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta Botanical Garden
Linton Hopkins
Chef and Owner
Hopkins and Co.
Linton Hopkins is the internationally acclaimed chef and owner of Hopkins and Co., the Atlanta-based restaurant group that includes Holeman and Finch Public House, Holeman and Finch Bottle Shop, H&F Burger, Hop’s Chicken, and C. Ellet’s Steakhouse. The Atlanta native is known for his deceptively simple cooking style that celebrates local produce and community-driven cuisine, with restaurants that embody his Southern heritage.
EDUCATION Emory University, Culinary Institute of America
FIRST JOB Dishwasher at the Easy Way Out, right near Peachtree Battle
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE Remaining relevant and connected in the everyday individual lives of all our team members—in a company that’s always growing
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Saint George Island with my wife and two kids
Ron Hsu
Culinary Director and Partner
Lazy Betty
Since opening in March 2019, Lazy Betty has received many regional and national awards. The restaurant was awarded one Michelin Star in 2023 and 2024 and has received two James Beard Award nominations: one for Best Chef Southeast and a semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant. Previously, Hsu, who was featured on Netflix’s cooking series The Final Table, worked at New York City’s Michelin-Starred Le Bernardin. Beyond the restaurants, Hsu is involved with KultureCity, helping those with non-visible disabilities, along with being on the steering committee at RAISE High Road, raising the minimum wage and fighting for equitable pay.
EDUCATION University of Georgia
FIRST JOB Onion peeler at Hunan Village, my parents’ restaurant when I was growing up
HOMETOWN Stockbridge, Georgia
HIDDEN TALENT I’m a good ping pong player.
BUCKET LIST Write a cookbook, open a Chinese restaurant
WHO SHOULD PLAY ME IN A BIOPIC Simu Liu
Nate Hybl
Founder and CEO
gusto!
Nate Hybl is the founder and CEO of gusto! Hybl grew up in small-town Hazlehurst, Georgia before taking on the big stage as a quarterback at The University of Oklahoma before playing for the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars. Once he was done with sports, he had a burning passion to become more than a “former athlete,” with an unshakeable vision for creating a new version of healthier fast food. For four years, he obsessively researched cuisines and ingredients, discovering his passion for global flavors and unique combinations, and learned the restaurant business by working a variety of jobs. Through this journey, gusto! was born—an eclectic menu selection of bowls and wraps that feature bold flavor combinations and fresh, high-quality ingredients prepared in record time. In 2014, Hybl single-handedly raised $600,000 to open his first gusto! restaurant on Peachtree Street, and since then, Hybl and his team have expanded to twelve locations throughout metro Atlanta area, with one in Athens and one in Dallas, Texas.
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF Take the Enneagram personality test, study yourself candidly, and then make early life decisions based off what you discover.
Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee
Michael Lennox
Owner
Electric Hospitality Co.
Michael Lennox is the CEO and founder of Electric Hospitality, on a mission to create “electric experiences” for their guests. A true visionary, Lennox opened Ladybird in 2014 as the first new restaurant on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail. Since then, he has opened multiple award-winning concepts that have received accolades from Bon Appetit, Travel + Leisure, and Eater, including Golden Eagle, a retro cocktail bar (since closed), Muchacho, an all-day, all-night West-coast inspired coffee and taco shop, as well as Ranger Station, a cozy cocktail lodge situated above Ladybird. In 2024, Ranger Station was named as one of Esquire’s “Best Bars in America,” Electric Hospitality also opened its newest concept, Strangers in Paradise, a tropical cocktail bar inspired by Florida beach bars of yesteryear; and Ladybird celebrated its 10th year anniversary.
EDUCATION Hampden-Sydney College, Wake Forest University School of Law (JD)
HOBBIES Hunting for antiques and vintage pieces, playing and collecting music, riding the emotional rollercoaster with our Atlanta sports teams
Harold L. Martin Jr.
CEO
Taco Mac
Harold L. Martin Jr. is the CEO of Taco Mac, an Atlanta-based restaurant company with 29 locations in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Prior to investing in and leading the acquisition of Taco Mac in 2018, Martin served as interim president of Morehouse College, his alma mater. He started his career as a management consultant in the Atlanta office of McKinsey & Co. before leaving to become a principal investor in the food and hospitality sectors. In 2019, the Georgia Restaurant Association awarded Taco Mac its GRACE Award for Restaurateur of the Year in the Large/Corporate category.
EDUCATION Morehouse College, Yale Law School (JD), Harvard Business School (MBA)
FIRST JOB Busboy at Kerner House, a diner in my hometown of Kernersville, North Carolina
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED From Benjamin Elijah Mays: “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead and no man yet to be born could do it any better.”
FAVORITE ATLANTA PLACE TO VISIT Mary Mac’s Tea Room
NONPROFITS Morehouse College, Camp Twin Lakes
K. Rashid Nuri
Founder and CEO
The Nuri Group
K. Rashid Nuri founded and leads The Nuri Group as the continuation of a 50-year career dedicated to building communities on the foundation of agriculture. The Nuri Group advocates for urban agriculture at the local, regional, and national levels, working not just with urban farmers and farming organizations but also educators, legislators, urban planners, and others. In 2006 Nuri founded the Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, which has grown into Atlanta’s premier urban agricultural organization, growing food, providing jobs, and educating communities on nutrition and self-sufficiency. Previously, Nuri oversaw 2,200 employees as deputy administrator in the Department of Agriculture for the Clinton administration.
EDUCATION Harvard College, University of Massachusetts Amherst (MS)
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK My work chose me, through what I experienced as a calling from God. The call answered my quest to contribute to the full liberation and prosperity of Black people in America.
TOUGHEST CHALLENGES White supremacy and capitalism
Aaron Phillips
Executive Chef and Partner
Lazy Betty
Since opening in March 2019, Lazy Betty has received many regional and national awards. The restaurant was awarded one Michelin Star in 2023 and 2024, and has received two James Beard Award nominations: one for Best Chef Southeast and a semifinalist nomination for Best New Restaurant. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with a degree in culinary arts, Phillips formerly worked in New York City at Bouley, Jean-Georges’ the Mark Restaurant, the Four Seasons Hotel, and Le Bernadin. In addition, Lazy Betty has received sensory-inclusive certification.
EDUCATION Culinary Institute of America
HOMETOWN St. Louis, Missouri
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED Take it one day at a time.
HOBBY Playing the guitar
ADVICE FOR A RECENT GRADUATE Work for the best places, not just the best wages.
NONPROFITS Kulture City, Ronald McDonald House, Atlanta Humane Society
WHO SHOULD PLAY ME IN A BIOPIC Jason Statham
Photograph by Eric Vitale
Todd Richards
Chef, Owner, Culinary Director, and Author
Jackmont Hospitality
Todd Richards is known for his contemporary cooking style rooted in soul and Southern cuisine. A self-taught Chicago native, he’s twice been a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award. Richards is the culinary director of Jackmont Hospitality, overseeing award-winning restaurants One Flew South and Chicken + Beer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He’s previously helmed the kitchens of prestigious Atlanta hotels and restaurants including the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, and Villa Christina. His 2019 book Soul was an IACP Cookbook Award winner, and in 2024, his book, Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America, with Amy Paige Condon, was released.
EDUCATION University of Illinois at Chicago
HIDDEN TALENT I’m a musician and a DJ.
NONPROFITS Wholesome Wave Georgia, Edna Lewis Foundation
BUCKET LIST Buying a boat
WHO’D PLAY ME IN A BIOPIC Forest Whitaker
Photograph by Heidi Geldhauser
Steven Satterfield
Chef and Co-owner
Miller Union and Madeira Park
Steven Satterfield is the executive chef and co-owner of Miller Union, located in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood. Since opening in 2009, the restaurant has been recognized by national publications such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Esquire. Deeply committed to Atlanta’s progressive culinary community, Satterfield holds leadership positions with Chefs Collaborative and Slow Food Atlanta. In 2017, he won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award, and the website Eater included Miller Union on its annual list of the country’s Most Essential Restaurants. In 2023 and 2024, Miller Union was included as a recommended restaurant in the Atlanta Michelin guide. His second offering, Madeira Park, a wine bar and restaurant, is slated to open this year.
EDUCATION Georgia Tech
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT In 2015, Satterfield released his first cookbook, Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks through the Seasons, to broad acclaim.
HIDDEN TALENT Singer, songwriter, guitarist with indie rock band Seely
NONPROFITS Southern Foodways Alliance, Georgia Organics
Gee Smalls
Executive Chef, Co-owner, and Author
Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar, the Breakfast Boys
Born into the Gullah Geechee culture of Charleston, South Carolina, Gregory “Gee” Smalls is the co-owner of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar and The Breakfast Boys. With a bachelor’s degree from DeVry University and a master’s degree in project management from DeVry’s Keller Graduate School of Management, Gee worked for 20 years in the information technology industry. In 2019, Gee became an executive chef and restaurateur and opened Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar alongside his husband Juan. Named after Gee’s father, the restaurant has three locations: College Park, West Midtown and Olde Town Conyers. The duo also co-owns The Breakfast Boys in College Park. Additionally, in 2014, Smalls and his husband created The Gentlemen’s Foundation, with the mission of promoting the holistic development of black men in the SGL (Same Gender Loving) and LGBTQ+ community.
EDUCATION DeVry University (MPM)
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK I chose to open a restaurant because I wanted to provide a space in Atlanta where people like my husband and I could be seen, loved, and affirmed.
WHO’D PLAY ME IN A BIOPIC Jussie Smollett
Juan Smalls
Co-owner
Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar, the Breakfast Boys
Along with his husband Gee, Juan Smalls is co-owner of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar and The Breakfast Boys. Named after Gee’s father, Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar has three locations: College Park, West Midtown and Olde Town Conyers. The couple also co-owns The Breakfast Boys in College Park. Additionally, in 2014, Smalls and his husband created The Gentlemen’s Foundation with the mission of promoting the holistic development of black men in the SGL (Same Gender Loving) and LGBTQ+ community. As chairman, Smalls has led the foundation in awarding scholarships, establishing mentorships, and advocating health and wellness through media outreach and support groups. The nonprofit foundation attracts corporate sponsors and partnerships from organizations such as UPS, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, AARP, New York Life Insurance Company, Home Depot, and more.
EDUCATION University of California, Los Angeles
HOMETOWN Los Angeles, California
FAVORITE ATLANTA PODCAST Atlanta Monster
HOSPITALITY & TOURISM
Frederick W. Cerrone
Founder and Chairman
Hotel Equities
Frederick W. Cerrone is founder and chairman of Hotel Equities, a development, ownership, and management company with more than 300 hotels in its present portfolio. Cerrone began his five-decade hospitality career as a desk clerk at Boston’s largest hotel; a general manager by the age of 21, and twice recognized as general manager of the year by national hotel franchises, he launched Hotel Equities in 1989. Cerrone is past chairman of Marriott’s Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites franchise advisory boards. Before embarking on a hospitality career, Cerrone served in the United States Marine Corps.
EDUCATION Miami Dade College, Georgia State University Robinson College of Business (MBA)
HOMETOWN Westwood, Massachusetts
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT HotelWorld Network Hotelier of the Year (2009)
WHY I CHOSE THIS WORK Hospitality is a people-centered business and people are my passion.
Photograph by Sarah Dorio
Tony Conway
Founder and CEO
Legendary Events
In 1997, after 20 years in the luxury-hotel industry, Houston native Tony Conway formed Legendary Events, an award-winning company whose clients include Tyler Perry, Elton John, and Oprah Winfrey; the company has planned complex high-profile events honoring the likes of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Legendary Events also owns and operates the Buckhead special-events venues the Estate and Flourish.
EDUCATION University of Houston
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT My first book, Tony Conway | Legendary Events, was published in May 2018.
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF Do it all again and continue to take calculated risks!
NONPROFITS Meals on Wheels, Shepherd Center, Andee’s Army, LifeLine, nsoro Foundation
BUCKET LIST Producing more international events
Photograph courtesy of individual
Mary Beth Cutshall
Founder & Managing Partner
Amara Capital
With nearly 30 years of hospitality experience, Mary Beth Cutshall is founder and managing partner of Amara Capital, founded as a vehicle for women investors to gain access into hospitality real estate and ownership. The New Hampshire native has been actively leading teams, growing organizations, and increasing real estate portfolios for over 25 years, representing over $1.3 billion in hotel real estate valuations. Cutshall is a known C-suite innovator and visionary in the hospitality industry.
EDUCATION University of Nevada, Las Vegas
FAVORITE BOOK A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Patagonia
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF Relax, the best is yet to come.
FAVORITE ATLANTA PLACES TO VISIT O4W and Virginia-Highland
Kevin Duvall
CEO
Georgia World Congress Center Authority
Appointed in September 2024, Kevin Duvall is the CEO of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, where he provides direction and leadership for the company, aligning strategic goals with daily operations and enhancing decision-making processes across the 220-acre campus. Duvall began his GWCCA journey as the assistant general manager of the Georgia Dome from 2002 to 2006, moving to assistant general manager of the GWCC from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, he became chief operating officer, a position he held for 15 years, demonstrating exceptional skill in facility and event management.
EDUCATION University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University (MSA)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT GWCCA’s opening of Signia by Hilton Atlanta in January 2024, a project 10 years in the making
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE Covid
FAVORITE SPECIAL OCCASION RESTAURANT The Optimist
BUCKET LIST Trip to Napa Valley wine country with my wife
Erica Qualls-Battey
Area General Manager/General Manger
Marriott International/Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Erica Qualls-Battey is the area general manager for Marriott International with responsibilities for the Atlanta market and general manager of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. She is responsible for ensuring guest and associate satisfaction, managing the hotel’s finances and assets, owner relations, and fostering business alliances that promote Marriott International. The Philadelphia native joined Marriott in 1993. Honors include General Manager of the Year by Marriott International, YWCA Women of the Year, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau Hospitality Hall of Fame, Atlanta Business League’s Leadership Award, Atlanta Business League’s Women of Influence Hall of Fame, and Atlanta Technical College Bridge Builder Award.
EDUCATION San Jose State University
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE The Covid-19 pandemic. The disruption to our business and the rhythm of life.
FAVORITE BOOKS All Philippa Gregory and Beverly Jenkins novels
FAVORITE ATLANTA PLACE TO VISIT Zoo Atlanta with my grandchildren
BUCKET LIST Trip to Africa and Singapore
Mit Shah
CEO
Noble Investment Group
In 1993, Mit Shah founded Noble Investment Group, a real estate investment manager which has invested nearly $6 billion in upscale hotels throughout the United States, including numerous investments throughout Atlanta and the region. As CEO, he provides overall strategic guidance for the Noble organization and heads its investment committee. The Penn State School of Hospitality Management and the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society named Shah 2023 Hospitality Executive of the Year, and he was honored by UJA-Federation of New York in recognition of his professional and philanthropic achievements. Shah is serving his fifth term as a member of the board of trustees for his alma mater, Wake Forest University, where he is chairman of its investment committee.
EDUCATION Wake Forest University
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Youngest trustee and youngest officer of the board of trustees for Wake Forest University
FAMILY Married 28 years to Dr. Reshma Shah, a family practitioner; they’re parents to adult children Arjun and Roshni.
LESSON LEARNED Never delay gratitude.
Ryan Wilson
Cofounder and CEO
The Gathering Spot
As CEO of The Gathering Spot, which he cofounded with T.K. Petersen, Ryan Wilson oversees a private membership club that serves as a home for Atlanta’s creative class, business professionals, and entrepreneurs. The club has additional locations in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and membership communities in several other cities. In 2024, Wilson was appointed to The Carter Center’s board of councilors.
EDUCATION Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center (JD)
FIRST JOB Working at my parents’ first company, Ryla Teleservices, at the age of 14. I was responsible for updating the business records for one of their largest clients.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED Overwhelm the problem. Work aggressively to find solutions.
FEW PEOPLE KNOW I’ve been known to wait in line a time or two for new releases of tech products or sneakers.
FAVORITE TV SHOW The Wire
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION South Africa
LEGENDS
Bob Amick
As a partner in Peasant Restaurants, Amick grew the company to dozens of locations nationally before selling. He helped create concepts such as Mick’s and City Grill. Next came Killer Creek Chophouse, which he also sold. Finally, Amick launched Concentrics restaurants, which have been nominated for several James Beard Awards including Outstanding Restaurateur and Best Restaurant.
Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa
Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa started training at the age of 15 in the city of Sapporo on his native island of Hokkaido. For 15 years, his restaurant, Sushi Hayakawa, was a staple on Buford Highway, where reservations were infamously difficult to obtain. He relocated his operation to the Star Metals complex and shortened its name to just Hayakawa. In 2023, the restaurant won one of Atlanta’s first Michelin Stars.
Pano Karatassos
When Karatassos opened Pano’s and Paul’s in 1979, he revolutionized Atlanta’s dining scene. As founder and CEO of the Buckhead Life group, he has gone on to open more than a dozen eateries in Atlanta, as well as in South Florida. He earned the National Restaurant Association’s Legend Fine Dining Award in 2008 and has been named to Nation’s Restaurant News’s Fine Dining Hall of Fame.
Gerry Klaskala
Klaskala came to Atlanta after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1976. With George McKerrow, founder of LongHorn Steakhouse, he opened Canoe in 1995 and then Aria. And, as a consultant, Klaskala helped launch Buckhead Diner, Horseradish Grill, Atlas, and Murphy’s. He supports the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Georgia Organics, the High Museum of Art, and Southface.
Robby Kukler
Recently retired, Kukler was the founding partner of Fifth Group Restaurants. For three decades, Fifth Group Restaurants’ chefs, initiatives, and businesses—which include South City Kitchen, La Tavola, Ecco, the Original El Taco, Alma Concina, and Lure—have been featured in the New York Times, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and elsewhere.
George McKerrow
McKerrow opened his first LongHorn Steakhouse in 1981 and grew it into RARE Hospitality International, which owned LongHorn Steakhouse and Capital Grille. Cofounder and CEO of Ted’s Montana Grill with Ted Turner, he is also cofounder of Aria and Canoe. His many honors include the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Restaurant Association.
Tom Murphy
While Murphy was a student at Georgia State University, he did a feasibility study on opening a neighborhood deli. He ended up getting financing for the project, which over four decades has grown into the iconic Murphy’s Restaurant on Virginia Avenue.
Steve Nygren
Nygren opened the Pleasant Peasant in 1972 and grew the company to 34 restaurants in eight states. In 1994, he, his wife Marie, and their three daughters relocated to Chattahoochee Hills, where they helped design the award-winning Serenbe community.
Anne Quatrano
Quatrano has helped steer the trajectory of Atlanta’s dining scene for more than two decades. She was one of the city’s first chefs to showcase local ingredients. Much of what she serves at her restaurants—Bacchanalia, Star Provisions, and W.H. Stiles Fish Camp—comes from her Summerland Farm in Cartersville. In 2003 Quatrano received the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast award, and in 2023 Bacchanalia received a Michelin Star.
Ray Schoenbaum
The son of Shoney’s founder Alex Schoenbaum, Ray founded his Marietta-based restaurant group, which includes Ray’s on the River, Ray’s in the City, and Ray’s at Killer Creek, in 1984.
Virginia Willis
Georgia-born, French-trained chef Virginia Willis is the author of Secrets of the Southern Table: A Food Lover’s Tour of the Global South and Lighten Up, Y’all: Classic Southern Recipes Made Healthy and Wholesome, which won a 2016 James Beard Award in the category Focus on Health.
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