Tag: Demetrius Brown

The New South collective, a dynamic group of distinguished Black chefs in Atlanta, started a year ago. Their popular themed dinners are announced on social media and sell out quickly. This union of accomplished chefs went beyond a desire to collaborate on themed dinners and other projects; it was also motivated by frustration. “We wanted to show the South was more than just soul food,” says Gary Caldwell. “The dishes we create pay homage while still being innovative and modern.”

After purchasing French cafe Bread & Butterfly in 2023 and launching an African diaspora-inspired dinner menu, chef Demetrius Brown is turning his focus to his next venture: a full-service Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Summerhill called Heritage.

Demetrius Brown and Brandon Blanchard of Heritage Supper Club began a residency at Bread & Butterfly earlier this year, hosting their Afro-American pop-up in the evenings. After their first event, owner Billy Allin offered to sell the restaurant to them. “We appreciate and respect what he’s built and will keep breakfast and lunch as close to what he’s built as possible,” Blanchard says. “Our plan is to spend the first 30 days learning from the staff how this restaurant operates. We want to sit down and get to know our people.”

In November 2019, I attended my first Stolen Goods pop-up dinner, led by chef Maximilian Hines at the Old Fourth Ward restaurant A Mano. The meal—called Traptoria, Vol. 2—was advertised as a tribute to the carryout foods Hines grew up eating at mom-and-pop Italian restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area, but with a “Dirty South twist.” From a menu sprinkled with references to legendary musical acts, I ordered the Prince Scampi (Royal Red head-on shrimp in garlic and chili sauce, served with white bread), the fancied-up Cup-o-Ramone chicken noodles, and a rapturous Little Debbie tiramisu. It all lived up to the description Hines wrote to promote the event: “Basically if an Italian immigrant moved here and opened an Olive Garden in Bankhead.”