Kevin Rathbun partners with Tim Stevens on Roswell’s From the Earth Brewing Co.

The restaurant and brewery is set to open in late summer
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A rendering of From the Earth Brewing Co.

By Office of Design

Near one end of the Big Creek Greenway trail in Alpharetta is Jekyll Brewing Co., one of the few breweries in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. In August, another local brewery, this one a chef-driven spot called From the Earth, will open on the opposite side of the Greenway in Roswell, allowing guests to jog, walk, or bike between the two.

“We can do some cool things with that,” says Tim Stevens, founder and general manager of From the Earth.

A Buckhead Life Restaurant Group alum, he’s opening the restaurant and brewery in partnership with Kevin Rathbun, who he worked with at Nava. Though Rathbun will not be in the kitchen (and there’s no word yet on who will be), he has been involved in the menu development. According to Stevens, offerings will include house-made trail mix, a bacon flight, cheese and charcuterie platter, smoked quail served over cheese polenta, and of course a burger. There will be a number of sandwiches, including braised short rib French dip, shrimp Po’ boy, turkey reuben, and blackened grouper, as well as entrees like steak, chicken, shrimp and grits, and heritage-raised pork. As the name implies, everything will be sourced as locally as possible. There will be a focus on recycling edible products, too.

“A few years ago I took a trip to Asheville and fell in love with Wicked Weed’s concept of being chef-driven and fantastically brewed,” Stevens says. “I came back and started writing business plans.”

Former SweetWater brewmaster Kevin McNerney is spearheading the beer program, opening with six house-brewed varieties, including a 7.5 percent IPA with heavy dry hopping and a 6.2 percent pale ale with tropical notes. There will be a house-made root beer and ginger beer, plus four rotating small production local beers. Tastings and tours will be available on request, and Stevens says they are hoping to sell clay growlers and canned beer, too.

In addition, From the Earth will serve 10-12 seasonal cocktails, as well as wine. “We’re trying to offer a well-balanceded beverage program. We want this to be a dining experience, a place everyone can come hang out and have fun,” Stevens says.

Decorated in natural colors, the space will include an 85-seat dining room that looks into the brewhouse, a 19-seat bar, and a semi-private room, plus a patio/beer garden with life-sized Jenga. From the Earth will initially open at 3 p.m. for dinner, and eventually offer weekend brunch and weekday lunch.

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