Atlanta chefs are reaching new heights by joining culinary collectives, both individually and as a group.
The New South, an all-Black Atlanta chef collective backed by Demetrius Brown (Bread & Butterfly), Robert Butts (Auburn Angel), Gary Caldwell (Marcus Bar & Grille), Carlos Granderson, India Johnson (Sauce Queen Kitchen & Pantry),Day Joseph (Dine With Day), Jon’nae “Jaye” Smith (GourNae Eats), Rodney Smith (Bread & Butterfly), and Christan Willis, proves that when it comes to such endeavors, there’s strength and support in numbers.
Rodney Smith said he conceptualized The New South because he wanted to work with great chefs. But the group he helped found ended up unwittingly filling a void for him in Atlanta’s dining scene.
“The idea was to highlight a group of chefs showcasing [Black] culture and cuisine in a beautiful, modern way,” said Robert Butts, one of the collective’s earliest members. “Over the years, the food that we cook wasn’t all that represented or respected.”
Although the chefs were all familiar with one another and their work, none of them had collaborated until 2024. And despite working with other chefs throughout his career, Caldwell, another early member, admitted that the restaurant industry’s competitive nature often clouded his creative vision.
Related stories:
• Auburn Angel’s Robert Butts talks chef collectives and supporting farmers
• The Best New Atlanta Restaurants of 2024
Caldwell attended a Stolen Goods dinner in June 2024. That’s when Butts and Rodney Smith told him about The New South. He decided to get involved. Both Stolen Goods and The New South feature a similar ethos.
Stolen Goods, founded in 2019 by Chef Max Hines (Breaker Breaker), is a multicultural collective of Atlanta chefs and clearly influenced The New South. Hines is embracing its positive impact on the formation of other Atlanta chef collectives.
“There’s been a wide web of chefs trying to collaborate, especially chefs [with] like-minded visions and approaches to cooking,” Hines said.
Hines believes that being part of a collective amplifies the individual voices of local chefs in a saturated restaurant market like Atlanta. “You’re going to have more impact with chefs when you’re trying to push that boulder uphill or move the needle forward.”
Bread & Butterfly hosted the first New South dinner last fall – a seven-course, entirely Southern, family-style meal. “After the first dinner, we realized how special the dinner series could be, the fun we had, the history of each dish, telling the story of the culture of Black excellence,” Smith said of the mission behind The New South chef collective.
Related story: Stolen Goods chef collective in residence at Nourish Botanica
Johnson said Butts invited her to participate in The New South’s Volume II dinner at Marcus Bar & Grille. She made a salad for the dinner and afterwards was asked to remain a member of the collective.
“I really appreciate the love and support from other chefs on the team,” Johnson said. “We are all so very talented in our own way and it’s just so much fun cooking together and doesn’t feel like work.”
Johnson’s new restaurant, Sauce Queen, will host The New South’s Volume IV dinner on Sunday, March 23, highlighting the collective’s female members and incorporating Chef Dene Lynn. Sponsored by the Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Johnson said offering her Adair Park restaurant as a New South venue is a “great honor.”
Since its founding in 2024, The New South members have manifested considerable success. Butts is now head chef and part-owner at Auburn Angel; Jaye Smith competed in Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship” earlier this month; Rodney Smith launched the 1619 dinner series; and Caldwell said he just experienced his craziest and most successful year yet as a chef.
Caldwell appreciates the support he’s found with The New South chef collective, especially in helping each other tackle the challenges of the restaurant industry. “When something goes wrong, we come together and we figure out how to fix it,” he said.
The dinners have also given Caldwell the freedom and flexibility to make delicacies from his native Louisiana, such as tripe and truffles and turtle soup, dishes his Marcus Bar & Grille customers might not necessarily want to try or order. “We’re trying to change up what people think of as Southern food,” he explained of one of the goals set by the members of The New South collective.
As for chefs who want to start their own collective, Caldwell has some advice: don’t be afraid.
“If you know you have a group of chefs that are great working together, do it,” Caldwell siaid. “If you stand afraid, you won’t go anywhere. Those that aren’t afraid go far.”