Joey Ward of Gunshow is a 2018 StarChefs Rising Star; Taste His Talent at Gala Feb. 20

Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward is on the 2018 class roster for StarChefs Atlanta Rising Stars. The honor comes with spoon, fork and swizzlers attached: Ward and his talented classmates -- Atlanta’s top chefs, sommeliers and bartenders -- will prepare tastings and pour drinks for guests to savor while sauntering around the 2018 Atlanta Rising Stars Gala at SunTrust Park on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Preview the tempting menu here. A VIP reception opens the evening at 5:45 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. and the Tasting Gala from 7-9:30 p.m. Ward plans to wow gala guests with Lone Mountain Wagyu tartare, brioche, white truffle emulsion and egg yolk. He’s not going it alone. Compadre and Cocktail Cart Conductor Mercedes O’Brien joins him, treating imbibers to a smooth, java-ish cocktail of Grey Goose vodka, faux’presso, coffee liqueur, Chinese black bean vermouth and burnt sugar. Buy tickets online and come taste why these men and women are Atlanta’s StarChefs. General admission is $85 per person; VIP tickets are $125 per person (plus small service fee). A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to providing emergency assistance to Atlanta restaurant workers.

Churn, Baby, Churn! Gunshow’s Joey Ward is Finalist in Vitamix Challenge

Feel the pulse. Across the nation, chefs are revving engines, churning their way to the eighth annual Vitamix Challenge in Brooklyn. They’re coming from Austin, Chicago, Denver, Cleveland and Atlanta. Atlanta’s Glenwood Park neighborhood, to be exact, because Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward is one of five Vitamix Challenge finalists at StarChefs’ 12th annual International Chefs Congress on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Smooth moves pave the way as each chef will submit an original recipe tied to the Congress theme, “Cook Your Culture.” All the swirling leads to a grand prize package including a Vita-Prep 3, Vitamix XL, The Quiet One from Vitamix and a $500 American Express gift certificate; the runner-up turns on a Vita-Prep 3 and keeps a $250 American Express gift certificate. Good luck, Joey. Turn on the power!

Rack Up Hits from Gunshow Chef Joey Ward at Ponce City Farmers Market Chef Demo July 26

Did someone say tomatoes? Chef Joey Ward and the Gunshowcrew nailed first place for their tomato “sandwich” at the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival on July 17. The next best thing to tomatoes on sliced bread (or dining at Gunshow) is to marinate in kitchen wisdom and wizardry from Ward at the Ponce City Farmers Market chef demo on Tuesday, July 26. Chef demos are held in The Shed covered space at the 4-8 p.m. weekly market.

Simple Abundance Class Abundant with Red Beard Restaurants Chefs -- Gillespie, Ward and Müller – July 11

“Top Chef” alum Kevin Gillespie and his own top chef flankers Joey Ward of Gunshow and Andreas Müller of Revival go three deep teaching the July 11 Simple Abundance class“Cooking with Red Beard” at The Cook’s Warehouse Midtown. Eager learners and Atlanta Community Food Bank supporters will learn how to prepare home-cooked dishes from Gillespie’s popular cookbook “Fire in My Belly.” On the board: cornbread pancakes with sliced Brandywine tomatoes and bacon mayonnaise, kung pao Brussels sprouts, and roasted chicken with golden raisin and sweet onion jus with spring greens. The red-bearded chef will stay after class to autograph his cookbooks. Bring yours or buy one or more that evening. To attend the 7-9 p.m. class, buy tickets on the ACFB website or call 404-892-3333 ext. 1444; $65 per person.

Chef Dinner at Umi Raises $24,000 for Charity on May 1

A sold-out, all-star chef dinner hosted by food writer Kate Parham Kordsmeier and photographer Heidi Geldhauser, held May 1 at Umi, raised nearly $24,000 for charity. The inaugural event for the Emily Cameron Art Scholarship, honoring the late photographer Emily Cameron, gave $10,000 to Atlanta-based painter Natalie Escobar. Kordsmeier and Geldhauser, along with Cameron’s parents, established the scholarship to change the life of a service-industry worker pursuing a career in the arts. The remaining $14,000 in proceeds was donated to The Giving Kitchen to go toward crisis grants for members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardship. Some of Atlanta’s most-celebrated chefs, including Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito of Umi, Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Joey Ward of Gunshow, united to prepare the multi-course meal at Umi. To toast the occasion, Gunshow’s Mercedes O’Brien mixed a signature cocktail named “The Emily,” featuring bourbon, SHISO liqueur, honey, lemon, seltzer and strawberry absinthe ice pearls.

Aim for Gunshow Shotgun Beer Dinner October 25

Set the scope on this Sunday’s Shotgun Beer Dinner at Gunshow for a night loaded with 10 brews from Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. and Decatur’s Three Taverns Craft Brewery complemented by six wow-some dishes whipped up by executive chef Joey Ward and his culinary sharpshooters. Only 60 guests are privy to the rounds of rolling carts and communal-table dining plus brewery glassware and other swanky swag. $100 per person covers food, beer, tax and gratuity. Xorbia is your target for tickets to the October 25, 6-9 p.m. brew-ser. More on our blog. 

Gunshow Triggers New Shotgun Beer Dinner Series on October 25, Closes Out 2015 Hired Guns Series with a Bang November 17-18

Pursue true hoppiness at Gunshow by scoping out craft beers from two local breweries during the nationally acclaimed restaurant’s first “Shotgun” Beer Dinner. Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Glenwood Park restaurant fires off its new quarterly brew-ser series on Sunday, October 25 by partnering with Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. and Decatur’s Three Taverns Craft Brewery. Executive chef Joey Ward says the dinner will feature 10 beers representing the two breweries’ wide range of flavors, complemented by six dishes created by his sharpshooting culinary team. Dinner rolls out to the communal-style dining tables on the restaurant’s signature rolling carts. Shotgun guests head home with glassware and other goodies from the breweries. Limited to 60 guests, tickets are $100 per person and cover tastes of all the night’s dishes and beers as well as tax and gratuity. Buy tickets online through Xorbia.

Those hunting for another dynamic blast of top talent can set sights on the final Gunshow Hired Guns dinner of the 2015 season, on target for a 6 p.m. start on November 17 and 18. Guest chef Joe Kindred, chef and co-owner of hometown namesake Kindred in Davidson, North Carolina, hits the bull’s-eye with his award-winning, contemporary take on Southern cuisine. Chef Kevin Gillespie considers Kindred a “chef’s chef.” Training at Johnson and Wales in Charleston, South Carolina and gleaning experience at well-known restaurants in Chicago, San Francisco and Charlotte already filled Kindred’s apron pocket when he and wife Katy opened their Davidson restaurant in February 2015. Kindred quickly climbed the chart to be one of Bon Appetit magazine’s top 10 new restaurants of the year. Don’t miss a shot at reservations to this high-demand event. Make phone reservations now at 404-380-1886. Online reservations open up October 17.