Who: Chef Cooper Miller

Where: Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall

How would characterize your food?

At Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, we serve elevated, yet approachable, campfire-inspired cuisine. The menu emphasizes seasonal, local-driven fare, with simple dishes made from high quality ingredients. Think Navajo fry bread with smoked beef marmalade, taleggio fonduta, micro mustard greens; Spatchcock Chicken (to share) whole springer mountain chicken with onions, peppers, cilantro, corn tortillas, salsa rojo, and salsa verde; and Backyard BBQ with Gum Creek Farms whole hog, spare ribs, smoked house sausage, Lexington red slaw, and Panoo rolls.

What’s your top city for food and why?

Charleston. I love the way the town is steeped in culinary tradition, yet manages to keep pushing the culinary envelope. You’ll find great barbeque on the outskirts, great seafood on the island, and an amazing variety of awesome eats downtown. Old architecture, great shopping, good food, and good drinks….what’s not to love?

What unusual flavor pairing is your favorite?

I enjoy combining sweet and salty foods, and love the Navajo fry bread as an example of this. After frying the handmade dough to crispy, we dress it with a sweet and spicy beef marmalade made with red onion, prime smoked brisket, and pasilla pepper. We then top it with a creamy taleggio fonduta, and finish with micro mustard greens. Great combination of flavors.

What’s great about the Atlanta food scene?

It’s been awesome to see our city’s food scene rack up a bunch of accolades lately. I also think the variety of spots opening up around town is exciting. Atlantans are more willing to venture outside of their comfort zones to try new restaurants and cuisines outside their neighborhood. 

As a chef, what draws you to AmericasMart?

AmericasMart is one of the world’s largest marketplaces, and it’s had an incredible impact on Atlanta’s economy. I’m honored to be able to cook for the many attendees that will be traveling from around the world. 

Where can we find you at AmericasMart?

In the demo kitchen (Building 2, Floor 8) on Wednesday, September 21st at 1:30PM.

Who: Chef Ben Barth

Where: Local Three

How would characterize your food? 

The food at Local Three can be described as simple, ingredient driven, and eclectic. We believe that you can’t argue with delicious, so in our kitchen local and seasonal ingredients are a priority, and authenticity rules.

What’s your top city for food and why?

I love the budding food scene in Asheville. You can’t beat the location in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains and there are a ton of young, talented chefs showing off the local bounties. Plus, there is plenty of great beer to go with the food!

What unusual flavor pairing is your favorite?

Lobster & Fresh Cheeses

What’s great about the Atlanta food scene?

We have amazing diversity in cuisines and the people cooking them.

As a chef, what draws you to AmericasMart?

We are excited to introduce Local Three’s cuisines to people who may not have heard of us yet! We’re looking forward to bringing our “Foie Gras in Flip Flops” philosophy to AmericasMart.

Where can we find you at AmericasMart?

Our demo will take place on Tuesday, September 20 at 1:30pm.

Who: Chef Nick Melvin

Where: Venkman’s

How would you characterize your food?

I’d call it fun comfort food. We can be as creative or avant-garde as we want, but at the end of the day the food MUST be relatable to the guest. You have to serve food that people can eat and enjoy seven days a week. Food is about emotion, and we are tasked everyday with hitting that mark.

What’s your top city for food and why?

I’d have to say that next to Atlanta, it would be Chicago.  Chicago is very much a “blue-collar” kind of town and even in the nicest and fanciest of restaurants they hold true to their Midwestern roots.

What unusual flavor pairing is your favorite?

I’ll give you one that we’ve recently had fun playing with here at Venkman’s: fresh figs and Szechuan chile oil. We mixed the two with some in-house dry aged beef that we used in a tartar. I never would have thought of mixing the two but they were amazing together.

What’s great about the Atlanta food scene?

The Atlanta food scene is finally coming into its own.  For a long time I felt that every chef or cook in town was trying to emulate the chefs in other cities, but there is finally a voice in the community and it is screaming the history of Atlanta and everything makes the city great.  There is also a sense of family that among the food service community in Atlanta that is one of the best I’ve seen, bar none.  Even if you are competing with the guy down the street, you will still hang out, share ideas and help him or her out if they are in a bind.

As a chef, what draws you to AmericasMart?

AmericasMart is a great place that offers an amazing variety of trades, businesses, and happenings every day.  It’s never the same and never boring.

Where can we find you at AmericasMart?

You can find me coming up very soon at AmericasMart as I demo Pickled Corn Pups from Venkman’s!