After working nearly five years for Linton Hopkins' Resurgens Hospitality Group, Chris Edwards has left his job as executive chef of its flagship Restaurant Eugene to lead the kitchen at King and Duke.
“I like the culture they are building,” Edwards said of his new employer, Ford Fry, whose Atlanta restaurants include Beetlecat, Bar Margot, El Felix, Marcel, St. Cecilia and Superica. “It’s a great opportunity to see a different way of restaurant operations,” he said. “I’m looking to gain more experience in operational aspects of running a restaurant.”
Edwards also stated that he looks forward to maintaining relationships with local farmers, just as he did during his tenure at Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch, another Hopkins restaurant.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s Culinary Arts Advanced Standing Program, Edwards worked in the kitchens of popular restaurants in Portland, Oregon, Palm Beach and Chicago before landing back in Atlanta -- and on Hopkins’ team -- in 2014.
Spring is when Edwards expects to make a few changes at King & Duke. And those switches will be more apparent on the dinner menu than for lunch, he said.
But considering he has been on the job less than 72 hours, Edwards doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. “I have to learn the personality and culture of the restaurant and the team. That will dictate what we are capable of,” he said.
“We love aligning ourselves with likeminded chefs,” said Fry of Edwards. “Not only do we share the same culinary vision, but we genuinely enjoy working with them. I had the opportunity to cook with Chris at a charity dinner, and he blew me away with his passion for food. I just had a great time cooking with him.”
Edwards replaces EJ Hodgkinson, who has decided to “move on to new adventures,” according to a prepared statement.
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