A look at the servers, sous chefs, bartenders and restaurants that make Atlanta delicious
by Besha Rodell @BeshaRodell, Stephanie Dazey and Brad Kaplan
In 1998, as I perched on the edge of my mother's bed, she declared that I was lost. That I had no direction. That all I did was wait tables.
I was 22, living in Chapel Hill, N.C., immersed in the restaurant life. I had not yet been to college, and I had no plans to go (although eventually I did).
"You waited tables in your 20s, too," I protested.
"Yes," she said, "but I did other things. I was always involved in something. Politics. Art. I always had a passion. I was always interested in something."
"I am interested," I said, "in waitresses. I am interested in cooks."
Thirteen years later, I am still interested in waitresses and cooks.
Today, I review restaurants, but I never stopped being in love with the industry and its people. I stand for the customer, yes, but I also stand for the industry, for all the chefs who sweat 80 hours a week then go out to eat and wish every restaurant had the guts and soul they try to imbue in their own food. Ever eat out with a cook? You will never find a tougher critic.
That's why this year's Food Issue is all about that industry — not about the eating so much as the working. It's dedicated to the folks who make this thing run rather than the pretty food we get as consumers. I love that food, but we have 51 food sections a year discussing it. This issue is about the cooks and bartenders and waiters who make it happen. Appropriately, the issue was partially inspired by a waitress, and much of it is written by her: Stephanie Dazey, my intern this semester, who came up with so many good industry-themed story ideas that I decided to have her write a few and build this issue around them.
If it weren't for these folks — the cooks, the waitresses, the bartenders, the chefs — we wouldn't have anything to rhapsodize and write about. This one's for them. — Besha Rodell
Related Stories
-
A day in the life of Empire State South 1
A look at the work, hours, passion, and fun that goes into keeping this Midtown restaurant moving
-
A boy named Sous 5
To find Atlanta's up-and-coming culinary stars, it's worth looking at second in command
-
Atlanta's best bartenders speak up 2
A roundtable discussion about the city's cocktail renaissance, plus their cocktail recipes
-
The joys and pitfalls of a waiting tables with five of Atlanta's veteran servers 1
"Everyone should wait tables at least once in their life."
-
Origins: Nick Oltarsh and Restaurant Z
An essay by the ROOM at Twelve and Lobby Bar chef about his painful induction into the restaurant industry
-
Origins: Linton Hopkins goes by the books
A lifetime of cooking began in the business section of a bookstore
-
Industry hangs
Our favorite spots to eat and drink after the shift
-
Atlanta's best cocktail bars 4
Drink up!
-
Atlanta restaurants with the best service 2
Our best bets for the best service in town
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
Thank you Besha for doing this issue. My grandmother was essentially a single mom supporting my dad and uncle (granddad was an alcoholic) on her waitress salary most of her life. It is important to appreciate the hard work of these jobs.
like
dislike
Latest in Food Issue
-
A day in the life of Empire State South 1
A look at the work, hours, passion, and fun that goes into keeping this Midtown restaurant moving
-
A boy named Sous 5
To find Atlanta's up-and-coming culinary stars, it's worth looking at second in command
-
Atlanta's best bartenders speak up 2
A roundtable discussion about the city's cocktail renaissance, plus their cocktail recipes
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
A boy named Sous 5
To find Atlanta's up-and-coming culinary stars, it's worth looking at second in command
-
The joys and pitfalls of a waiting tables with five of Atlanta's veteran servers 1
"Everyone should wait tables at least once in their life."
More by Author
-
ACC Tournament: NC State whoops Boston College, Georgia Tech craps out to Miami
Game 2, 3, and 4 of the 2012 ACC Tournament at Philips Arena
-
Win tickets to Sweetwater's Brew Your Cask Off - and try XL: CL's 40th Anniversary Ale
I made a beer! Come help me drink it!!
- More »
More by Author
-
Sandwich Buddha stops at Buddy's
Buddy's on N. Highland not just for pops anymore
-
Never trust a Crazy Apple
These flavored apples are cray cray
- More »
More by Author
-
Flame up at Fuoco di Napoli? 3
Noted pizzaiolo Enrico Liberato on "leave of absence"
-
The great charcuterie smackdown 15
Five of Atlanta's best purveyors duke it out
- More »
-
Q&A with Michael McNeill
A chat with Georgia's Master Sommelier
-
Southern cocktail culture 2
A look at drinking trends in the South
-
A look at the servers, sous chefs, bartenders and restaurants that make Atlanta delicious 2
The 2011 Food Issue goes inside the industry
