Craig Richards, the executive chef at St. Cecilia and vice president of culinary operations at Ford Fry Restaurants, is moving on.
The culinary force behind Ford Fry's Italian restaurant in Buckhead has signed on as the executive chef with Hampton + Hudson in Inman Park. He begins his new stint next month.
A press release states that Richards will not only serve as the executive chef of Hampton + Hudson, but that he has entered into a “culinary partnership” with Hampton + Hudson owner Billy Streck on forthcoming projects to be announced at a later date.
“Craig and I have been friends for a long time,” Streck said a phone conversation. “We always talked about working together in some capacity. The stars are aligning.”
“We are a good yin to each other’s yang ,” Richards said. “To move forward, I need someone like Billy. We can make each other better.”
Tonight marks Richards’ last day in the kitchen at St. Cecilia.
He shared the news on Facebook: “Tonight is my last service at St. Cecilia. Thank you Ford Fry for giving me the opportunity to cook the food I always wanted to cook. And thank you to my past and present teams for making the last four and a half years possible. New and exciting things to come...”
Chef Damon Wise will manage the kitchen at St. Cecilia in the near term, according to Fry. Wise joined Fry's group only last week as one of its vice presidents of culinary operations. Most recently, Wise served as culinary director for Linton Hopkins's Resurgens Hospitality Group.
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