(profile)
STYLE DESIGN DOSSIER
HUGH ACHESON With Empire State South, this laid-back Southern chef aims to create one of Atlanta’s most iconic restaurants, appealing to destination diners and neighborhood regulars alike
WRITTEN BY
KATE ABNEY Ç
PRODUCED BY
RACHEL CARDINA LASSERRE
HUGH ACHESON’S LATEST RESTAURANT, LOCATED AT 999 PEACHTREE IN MIDTOWN, IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN CHEF AND JAMESTOWN PROPERTIES CREATIVE DIRECTOR MICHAEL PHILLIPS—ONE OF THE BRIGHT MINDS BEHIND PROJECTS SUCH AS MANHATTAN’S CHELSEA MARKET AND ATLANTA’S OWN WESTSIDE PROVISIONS DISTRICT— THAT’S RESULTED IN THE ULTIMATE ATLANTA RESTAURANT ENDEAVOR. THE NAME, EMPIRE STATE SOUTH, WAS ADAPTED FROM A TERM COINED A CENTURY AGO TO PROMOTE GEORGIA AS A CENTER OF COMMERCE FOR THE SOUTHEAST. A GRILLED PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICH WITH PICKLED OKRA, AT RIGHT, IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY DELECTABLE SOUTHERN DISHES ON THE MENU.
12
ATLANTAHOM ES MAG.COM
For Hugh Acheson’s induction to the local pantheon of cuisiniers, Atlantans have been waiting with bated breath. After all, countless among them regularly make the 70-mile trek to dine at his signature Athens Five & Ten, the eatery that put a remote college town on the culinary map. Since its debut in 2000, Acheson has risen to national acclaim, having racked up four James Beard Award nominations, a Food & Wine Best New Chef designation and opened two additional Athens establishments—Gosfard Wine in 2004 and The National in 2007. Later this month, he’ll open Empire State South, arguably the most anticipated Atlanta restaurant of the year. A loose translation of the meat-and-three, Empire State South will serve simple, straightforward Southern cuisine with a dash of European elán (a credit to Acheson’s formal training with French-centric chefs across the continent). Ingeniously, Acheson cuts through the heaviness of traditionally rich Southern dishes with bright acids, piquant chilis and the “bouncy,” fresh flavors he’s made all his own. “We want to show people what great Southern food is. Atlanta has great old meat-and-threes like Busy Bee [Café] and Carver’s [Country Kitchen]...we wanted something with that same sensibility, but a little more gilded,” he notes. “Just great, simple, local food that’s done in a really healthy and modern way.” Acheson’s interpretation is outlined on a stylized menu that includes local Nature’s Harmony Farm pork chops smothered in chanterelle
gravy, zipper cream pea succotash and roasted half-chicken with boiled peanuts and salsa verde. Meanwhile, at the granite-topped board-and-batten bar, patrons can choose from a beguiling selection of small-batch bourbons, seasonally changing cocktails and the most comprehensive selection of Burgundies in the city. Acheson is maintaining his home base in Athens but keeping an apartment in Atlanta for now, appointing Chef de Cuisine Nick Melvin—recently plucked from Inman Park’s Parish Foods & Goods—to the helm in his absence. He’s also planning to host wine dinners, sponsor community events and support the pro-bono eΩorts of fellow 999 Peachtree tenants. But that’s not all that’s up this chef’s sleeve. In the fall of 2011, he’ll release a new cookbook, A New Turn in the South, featuring recipes from the Empire State South menu as well as his personal sentiments on new Southern cuisine. In the meantime, he’s just hoping to make really good Southern food— with minimal attitude. MY HOME REFLECTS… My commu-
nity in Athens and my family life with my wife, Mary, and our two daughters—Beatrice, who is 8, and Clementine, who is 6. I also have a nice Viking kitchen. MY SIGNATURE COLORS ARE… Pale blue and green; I’m not sure why. THE ONE THING I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IS… A cast-iron frying pan.
Cast-iron pans age so well if you take care of them. MY FAVORITE MUSEUM IS… The Museum of Modern Art.
FOOD IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHED BY RINNE ALLEN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
ERICA GEORGE DINES Ç