Photograph courtesy of Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar
Food, Restaurants, & Chefs | Hospitality & Tourism | Legends
FOOD, RESTAURANTS, & CHEFS
Adam Beauchamp
CEO and Cofounder
Creature Comforts Brewing Company
After a year and a half of pursuing a PhD in genetics and molecular biology at Emory University, Adam Beauchamp decided to follow his dream of opening a craft brewery. He spent seven years at SweetWater Brewing Company, working in every production department while also homebrewing on the weekends to develop his craft. Since launching in 2014, Creature Comforts Brewing Company has become one of the fastest growing and most recognized new breweries in the United States. In 2021, he took on the role of COO, and in 2024, he was elevated to the role of CEO. Beauchamp and his wife, Katie Beauchamp, director of hospitality at Creature Comforts, are parents to their daughter, Jane.
EDUCATION University of Georgia
HOMETOWN Lawrenceville, Georgia
FAVORITE SONG ABOUT ATLANTA “ATLiens” by OutKast
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION Tokyo, Japan
BUCKET LIST We are going to brew beer in Southwold, United Kingdom. We’ve brewed beer with international partners in the past, but I’m excited about this one. This is a very old U.K. brewery in partnership with JD Wetherspoon, the largest chain of pubs in the U.K. We are assigned to an old English brewery, and they will sell our beer across the country.
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: Mujo, 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, one in Nashville, and a fourth location in Charlotte slated to open in 2026; 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 and eventually expanded to seven restaurants in Georgia and locations in Birmingham, Alabama; Brooklyn and Harlem, New York; and Dallas, Texas. However, in 2025, Cole revealed that following financial challenges, her company went through a restructuring, and she no longer owned the company. Still, just over a month later, Cole bought her business back and has since opened Voyages, a vegan hoagie concept. 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 is also an author.
EDUCATION Clark Atlanta University
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 23,000 food service and drinking places in Georgia, with total sales over $30.1 billion and more than 500,000 jobs. Fischer has spent her entire career in the hospitality industry, beginning at KFC during high school 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)
Photograph by Patrick Heagney
Kevin Gillespie
Owner, Chef, Cookbook Author, and Speaker
Red Beard Restaurants (Gunshot, Nàdair)
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. In 2025, Gillespie was appointed to the Meals On Wheels Atlanta board of trustees.
EDUCATION Art Institute of Atlanta
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Gillespie was a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurateur Award and was a finalist and the fan favorite on Bravo’s Top Chef season six and a finalist on Top Chef All-Stars. He was named a 2015 and 2017 semifinalist and 2016 finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: South Award and has previously been a semifinalist for the Rising Star Chef of the Year Award for three consecutive years.
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!
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. In 2025, Lazy Betty was featured in a one-night-only dinner, titled “A Night of Luxury with Michelin-starred Lazy Betty”, at Pier 57 in New York City as part of the James Beard Foundation’s Platform Dinner series. 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 thirteen locations throughout metro Atlanta.
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.
WHO’D PLAY ME IN A BIOPIC Kevin Costner
Niko Karatassos
Co-president
Buckhead Life Restaurant Group
For nearly four decades, Niko Karatassos has been a driving force behind one of Atlanta’s most storied restaurant empires. As copresident of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, he oversees a portfolio of award-winning restaurants that have helped define the city’s dining culture—from Chops Lobster Bar and Pricci to Bistro Niko, Kyma, Corner Café, and Atlanta Fish Market. The son of I. Pano Karatassos, the visionary founder and CEO of Buckhead Life, Karatassos grew up in the business—bussing tables at the Atlanta Fish Market at just 14 years old. Since officially joining the company in 1986, he has held nearly every position in the front and back of house, rising through the ranks to become director of operations before being named president in 2014. Under his leadership, the company has not only sustained its local legacy but has also expanded into key Florida markets, including Boca Raton, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale.
EDUCATION Florida International University
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Founding chairman of the Georgia Restaurant Association and is chairman emeritus, GRACE Award Restaurateur of the Year finalist (2023)
Pano I. Karatassos
Co-president and Culinary Director
Buckhead Life Restaurant Group
A second-generation leader in one of Atlanta’s most iconic hospitality families, the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Chef Pano I. Karatassos has helped shape the city’s culinary landscape for over two decades. As copresident and culinary director of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Karatassos carries forward a legacy built by his father, legendary restaurateur I. Pano Karatassos, whose groundbreaking concepts—including Chops Lobster Bar, Pricci, Bistro Niko, Kyma, and Atlanta Fish Market—have defined fine dining in the city since the 1980s. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Karatassos opened Kyma, a contemporary Greek restaurant acclaimed for its innovative approach to Mediterranean cuisine, in 2001.
EDUCATION Florida State University, Florida International University, Culinary Institute of America (AOS)
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS GRACE Award Restaurateur of the Year finalist (2023); competed on the Food Network show Beat Bobby Flay and defeated Flay with his signature dish lamb pie (2019); author of Modern Greek Cooking: 100 Recipes for Meze, Entrées, and Desserts (2018)
WHAT I’D TELL MY 18-YEAR-OLD SELF I wanted to go to the Culinary Institute of America after high school, but my parents wanted me to go to college. So, I was a loose cannon at FSU and wish I enjoyed my classes more.
Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee
Michael Lennox
Owner
Electric Hospitality Co.
Michael Lennox is the CEO and founder of Electric Hospitality Co., 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
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 U.S. 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. In 2025, Lazy Betty was featured in a one-night-only dinner, titled “ A Night of Luxury with Michelin-Starred Lazy Betty,” at Pier 57 in New York City as part of the James Beard Foundation’s Platform Dinner series. Additionally, Lazy Betty has received sensory-inclusive certification. 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 Bernardin.
EDUCATION Culinary Institute of America
HOMETOWN St. Louis, Missouri
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT Receiving a Michelin star has been my greatest professional accomplishment.
HOBBY Playing the guitar
ADVICE FOR A RECENT GRADUATE Work for the best places, not just the best wages.
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 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, which opened in 2025, was recognized in Bon Appétit as of one of the 9 Best Bars of 2025.
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, Smalls worked for 20 years in the information technology industry. In 2019, Smalls became an executive chef and restaurateur and opened Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen & Bar alongside his husband Juan. Named after Smalls’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.
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
Justin Amick
CEO and President
Painted Hospitality
Justin Amick, CEO and president of Painted Hospitality, has redefined the restaurant experience, inspiring a generation of professionals to think beyond the traditional restaurant model. Raised in the hospitality business via his family’s restaurant group, Concentrics Restaurants, Amick joined Chef Tom Colicchio’s Craft Restaurant Management Training Program in New York City after graduating from college. He then relocated to Napa Valley to work with the winemaking team at Trinchero Family Estates. Returning to Atlanta, Amick joined the family business, managing TWO urban licks, serving as general manager and beverage director for PARISH Foods & Goods, and later as general manager and advanced sommelier of Chef Richard Blais’s The Spence. In 2014, Amick left Concentrics to found Painted Hospitality with partner William Stallworth. Painted Hospitality creates and operates one-of-a-kind, entertainment venues, bars, restaurants, and hospitality ventures.
EDUCATION Tulane University Freeman School of Business
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Buckhead Entrepreneur of The Year by the Buckhead Business Association, Rudd Scholarship recipient for highest combined score on the Advanced Sommelier Exam by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Frederick W. Cerrone
Founder and Chairman
Hotel Equities
Frederick W. Cerrone is founder and co-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 U.S. 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.
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 authority, 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 GWCCA 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
Kristi Martin
President and COO
Ted’s Montana Grill
As the president and COO of Ted’s Montana Grill since 2010, Kristi Martin is a seasoned executive and respected leader in the hospitality industry with more than three decades of experience driving strategic growth and operational excellence in restaurant companies. Martin began her career at Fresh Choice Restaurant Group as a server while in college, where her passion for hospitality was first ignited. She quickly rose through the ranks and left the company as director of training in 1997. Since then, Martin has served at RARE Hospitality International as director of training for LongHorn Steakhouse, Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse as president and CEO, and LongHorn Steakhouse as senior vice president of operations.
EDUCATION California State University
FIRST JOB My family owned a chain of 10 liquor stores and delis in California called Kavanagh Liquors. I began “working” in the stores at a very young age, often tagging along with my dad. He’d give me a penny for every bag of ice I filled or let me pick out a candy bar for dusting the wine bottles.
HOBBIES I enjoy working out, spending time with my husband on our boat, wakeboarding, and wake surfing.
FAVORITE TV SHOW Yellowstone, of course. One of our restaurants is in Bozeman, Montana, and I constantly recognize so many scenes from the show.
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. Additionally, in 2025, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s board of directors elected Qualls-Battey as its chair.
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
Mit Shah is the founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, a real estate investment manager focused on travel and hospitality. Since 1993, he has led the firm’s strategic vision and chaired its investment committee, guiding more than $6.0 billion in investments across the U.S., including a strong presence in Atlanta. 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.
Jamey Shirah
CEO
Revival Restaurant Group
Jamey Shirah is the CEO of Revival Restaurant Group, a multiconcept hospitality company based in Atlanta. The group includes high-end restaurants such as Little Betty Steak Bar and Luella, as well as wellness ventures such as Wellhaus Boutique Wellness Studio. Shirah is actively involved in leadership development, financial planning, concept launches, and operational strategy across all businesses. Additionally, he emphasizes team member development, operational excellence, values-driven leadership, and long-term growth.
EDUCATION University of Georgia
FIRST JOB Growing up on a farm taught me that there is no substitute for hard work. It simply takes what it takes and sometimes that’s all you have.
LESSON LEARNED Clarity is a superpower. Knowing what you want, why you want it, and what it will take to get it and jumping in with both feet to make it happen will give you a head start on most things, people, and competition in life.
James Tsismanakis
Executive Director and CEO
Discover DeKalb
DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau
Sports DeKalb
James Tsismanakis serves as the executive director and CEO of Discover DeKalb, the DeKalb Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Sports DeKalb. The mission of Discover DeKalb is to promote DeKalb County, Georgia as a destination for leisure travel, meetings, group tour and travel, sport/recreation events, and family reunions. Georgia’s third largest county with nearly 750,000 residents spanning across 11 unique local cities, communities, and neighborhoods, DeKalb is home to some of Georgia’s best attractions such as Stone Mountain Park, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, David J. Sencer CDC Museum, and Buford Highway’s international corridor. Tsismanakis, who was an adjunct professor at Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality, also hosts the podcast DeKalb Talks Tourism, where he delves into tourism trends and developments. Tsismanakis and his wife, Bethany, are parents to three children.
EDUCATION Marshall University, Georgia State University Robinson College of Business (MGHM), Clemson University (PhD)
HOBBIES Inner Trekkie as a devoted Star Trek superfan
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. In 2025, Wilson debuted a second location in Atlanta, Retreat by The Gathering Spot, which features a rooftop pool, two full-service restaurants, flexible workspaces, and more. The club has additional locations in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and membership communities in several other cities. Wilson currently serves on or has served on the boards for the Atlanta Business League, Usher’s New Look, the Woodruff Arts Center, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, the Georgetown University Board of Regents, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Goodwill of North Georgia, the Fox Theatre, and The Carter Center.
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 In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten into long-distance running. It’s become a way for me to challenge myself physically and mentally.
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.
Tony Conway
Conway formed Legendatry Events in 1997, with clients ranging from Tyler Perry to Elton John to Oprah Winfrey. The company has planned high-profile events honoring the likes of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Legendary Events owns and operates the special events venues the Estate and Flourish in Buckhead.
Ford Fry
The Atlanta culinary icon has a long list of Atlanta restaurants to his name, including JCT Kitchen, Marcel, Little Sparrow, the Optimist, and Superica. Marcel was a recommended restaurant in the first-ever Atlanta Michelin guide in 2023. In 2024, Superica was awarded a Bib Gourmand, and Marcel and Little Sparrow were included as recommended restaurants. The Texas native trained at Vermont’s New England Culinary Institute.
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.
Eddie Hernandez
A native of Mexico, Hernandez and partner Mike Klank launched the first Taqueria del Sol on Atlanta’s Westside. In 2018, he released his first cookbook, Turnip Greens & Tortillas.
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—which include South City Kitchen, La Tavola, Ecco, the Original El Taco, Alma Concina, and Lure.
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.
