Gunshow Plans Totally Tubular 90s Throwback Week Oct. 17-21

Children of the 90s that they are, Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward and the kitchen dudes have achy-breaky hearts to revive the 90s…not for a decade, but definitely for dinner the week of Tuesday, Oct. 17 through Saturday, Oct. 21. Kevin Gillespie’s nationally acclaimed Glenwood Park restaurant flashes back to 90s pop culture for menu and cocktail themes, tunes and fashions of the era. Cocktail cart conductor Mercedes O’Brien is exploring intoxicating options involving 90s nips like Zima and Capri Sun. Fun! Come along for the ride by donning your best parachute pants, high-top sneakers, scrunchies and over-sized T-shirts and receive a special dressed-to-the-90s perk. The 90s saw the rise of online reservation services so go retro and reserve seats online now or throw way back and use the phone, 404-380-1886.

Nicole Frey Edwards is New Chef de Cuisine at Revival

Spy the new face among the kitchen team at Revival, Kevin Gillespie’s popular Decatur restaurant? Creative star Nicole Frey Edwards is Revival’s new chef de cuisine, making the move from Gunshow, Gillespie’s Glenwood Park restaurant. This Southerner by choice and heart exudes warmth and a fervor for Southern fare and peak season pickings. Her love affair with Southern cuisine started when she arrived in Atlanta in 2014 to serve as executive sous chef at Watershed on Peachtree and gain exposure to Creole and modern bents on Southern flavors. Edwards admits an addiction to reading “classic cookbooks with recipes that sound like they’re straight from a great-grandmother’s table” and credits Gunshow with pushing her past her creative comfort zone and into dish-driving seasonality. The Johnson and Wales University grad began her culinary career with Operation Frontline Colorado/Share our Strength in Denver while also working at The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa. Enjoy Edward’s cuisine over dinner at Revival Wednesday through Sunday and Sunday brunch.

Kudos for a Sunday Afternoon KUDU Safari Braai Cookout with Kevin Gillespie and Justin Anthony at Yebo Beach Haus May 21

Surfin’ safari? We’re game! Celebrity chef, restaurateur and author Kevin Gillespie and Atlanta restaurateur Justin Anthony ignite a KUDU Braai Cookout on the Yebo Beach Haus patio Sunday, May 21 from 3-6 p.m. “Braai Masters” Gillespie (Gunshow, Revival, Communion Cantina and Terminus City) and South African native Anthony (10 Degrees South, Yebo Beach Haus, Cape Dutch and Biltong Bar) will man four custom KUDU Grills in a celebration of South African culture. Along with libations and chef chat time, enjoy passed plates of hot-off-the-grill South African bites including shrimp kabobs, boerewors rolls, sosaties, peri-peri chicken and vegetable kabobs. Alcohol will be available for purchase. Buy tickets online, $30 per person plus small service fee.

The Federal, Aria, Kevin Gillespie are James Beard Foundation 2017 Restaurant and Chef Awards Semifinalists

News flash! The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has announced the 2017 semifinalists for its prestigious Restaurant and Chef Awards. Yes, we have to brag on several from our own town: 

Best New Restaurant -- The FederalOutstanding Service -- AriaBest Chef: Southeast -- Kevin Gillespie, Gunshow
What’s next? JBF will announce the final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees on Wednesday, Mar. 15 and post the names in real time on Facebook Live and Twitter. The 2017 James Beard Awards Gala will take place at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 1.

Wake Up Sundays with Revival Brunch Beginning Jan. 8

Slow down. Enough with the 2016 rush. Ease into 2017 over a leisurely Sunday brunch at Revival, an option beginning Jan. 8 at the popular Decatur restaurant. Chef/owner Kevin Gillespie waxes nostalgic about childhood days when the pace of life paused for weekend family breakfasts. Revival’s brunch menu is an assortment of cherished Gillespie family recipes and favorites from executive chef Andreas Müller, including the Closed-on-Sunday chicken sandwich, griddled meatloaf sandwich with aged cheddar on a caramelized onion roll and other Southern classics such as smoked ham and onion breakfast strata; breakfast plate with two eggs, grits, sausage, bacon and biscuits; and catfish bites over grits with gravy. Slide in for brunch Sundays from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Revival also serves dinner Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. Reservations are accepted but not required and can be made online or by calling 470-225-6770.

Target Dec. 29 to Buy Individual Tickets to Jan. 29 Gunshow “Hired Guns” Dinner Featuring Chefs Rahal and Rojas of Provisions in Montreal, Canada

Rifle through your calendar app and mark Thursday, Dec. 29, as the bull’s-eye day to buy individual tickets to the first Gunshow “Hired Guns” dinner of 2017. For the Sunday, Jan. 29 event, chefs Kevin Gillespie and Joey Ward are crossing the border to bring in guest chefs Hakim Rahal and Pablo Rojas of Provisions in Montreal. Rahal and Rojas have garnered attention from critics and diners alike for their five-course family style menu created around the ingredients of the day from local purveyors. Prior to Dec. 29, tickets to this event were only available to those purchasing the entire “Hired Guns” series. As with the remaining five events, any tickets still available will go on sale for $95 per person one month prior to the dinner via Xorbia. Seating is limited to 100 guests at the intimate dining experience where chefs create and come out of the kitchen to mingle with guests. Next up, Jennifer Carroll of Requin in Washington, D.C. on March 12; Grae Nonas of Tullibee in Minneapolis on May 7; Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery in New Orleans on Aug. 6; Jamie Bissonnette of Toro and Coppa in Boston on Sept. 10 as well as one more surprise visitor on Nov. 5. “Hired Guns” began in 2013 as a way to lure some of the country’s most-talked-about chefs to Gunshow to share their styles and personalities alongside those of Gunshow’s own “kitchen dudes.” The Glenwood Park restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Reservations are encouraged but not required.

Fire Up for Gunshow “Hired Guns” 2017

Gunshow is loading an all-new lineup of superstar chefs over six can’t-miss Sunday dinners in the upcoming year. The 2017 “Hired Guns” series is sure to trigger excitement among Atlanta foodies who will be able to savor signature dishes created by renowned chefs from all over North America without even venturing outside I-285. Chefs Kevin Gillespie and Joey Ward are going international for the opener on Sunday, Jan. 29, inviting Hakim Rahal and Pablo Rojas of Provisions in Montreal. Season tickets make the perfect gift and are the only way to guarantee a seat at the intimate dinners as the series is expected to sell out quickly. Buy the entire series now for $1,000 per couple on the Red Beard Restaurants merchandise site. The package includes souvenir tickets, signed menus and a photo opportunity. Drinks and gratuity are additional. If tickets are still available after season passes are purchased, they will be priced at $95 per person and go on sale Dec. 29, 2016 via Xorbia. 

Other 2017 “Hired Guns” dates and chefs include: March 12 – Jennifer Carroll of Requin in Washington, D.C.; May 7 – Grae Nonas of Tullibee in Minneapolis;  Aug. 6 – Justin Devillier ofLa Petite Grocery in New Orleans; Sept. 10 – Jamie Bissonnette of Toro and Coppa in Boston; and Nov. 5 – TBA. As with the Jan. 29 event, any available tickets may be purchased through Xorbia one month prior to the dinner.

“Meet Your Neighbors” with Terminus City and Three Taverns Brewery Dec. 18

Three Taverns Brewery and Kevin Gillespie's Terminus City, the brewers and ‘cuers in your neighborhood, say “come on by and meet your neighbors” at the Decatur craft brewery on Sunday, Dec. 18 from 5-8 p.m. Andreas Müller, executive chef of Revival and Terminus City's pitmaster, will be on hand chopping up and serving Gillespie’s mouthwatering whole-hog BBQ pork sliders, potato salad and coleslaw while you enjoy live music and Three Taverns beer. Grab tickets for $25, which includes music, brewery tours, a take-home dual branded beer glass and food from Terminus City. A percentage of the proceeds will go to support (D.E.A.M) Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry.

Red Bearded Santa Sighting: Kevin Gillespie at Peachtree Road Farmers Market Holiday Artist Market

The Peachtree Road Farmers Market Holiday Artist Market on Nov. 26 further tips the scales toward shopping small and local. Thirty local artists will add their wares to the healthy array offered by steadfast farmers and food producers at the state’s largest producer-only farmers market. Grab your shopping bags and scour the market for deliciously unique and appreciated holiday gifts. Need a Christmas card photo? Tote the camera or smartphone to snap photos with Santa Kevin Gillespie and his elves. Good thing he’s not doling out barbecue and sauce or you would both have red beards.

Merry Beardsmas, Everyone! Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Holiday Gifting Extravaganza Now Underway

Turn to the Santa sporting a red beard and apron for chef-inspired holiday gifts. Atlanta chef, restaurateur, speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie’s Beardsmas is back for its second year, and the Beardsmas bag spills over with new delights and returning favorites. Head to Red Beard Merch for these gifts or other hats, t-shirts and Red Beard items that are the perfect additions to your holiday checklist.

What’s New:

• Gunshow Golden Ticket bidding begins Cyber Monday, Nov. 28 at redbeardmerch.com. Bid on a one-of-a-kind “golden ticket” redeemable for an immediate 7:30 p.m. reservation for four (private event nights excluded), glass of complimentary Champagne for each guest and a complimentary round of cocktails any time you dine at Gunshow through 2017. Bidding starts at $1 and lasts for 72 hours with a portion of the winning bid benefitting the nonprofit Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry campaign. Sorry, dinner and additional drinks are not included.
• Shop the Peachtree Road Farmers Market with Kevin explores the state’s largest producer-only farmers market on May 13, 2017. Chef Kevin and a small group begin with a pre-opening tour followed by time to shop and meet the farmers and capped by a post-market cooking demo with Kevin (15 spots available; $99 each).
• Personalized Voicemail/Audio Greeting by Chef Kevin lets them think the chef is answering your phone. Keep it to a clean 30-second message ($25).
• Gunshow’s Joey Ward Chefs Dinner in Your Kitchen, a four-course dinner for 10 with wine to impress friends or business clients. (Three will be sold, $5,000 each).

Beardsmas Back by Demand:

• Go Hog Wild with Terminus City BBQ for 100 served up by Chef Kevin and a keg of Kevin’s favorite beer ($6,000)
• Pair of 2017 Hired Guns Season Tickets for Gunshow’s guest chef series ($1,000)
• Private Dinner with Kevin for you and 10 friends, with customized signed menus and autographed cookbooks ($10,000)
• Gunshow Cocktail Class ($75 per class)
• Red Beard Restaurants Stocking Stuffers – a few of Kevin’s Red Beard faves all packaged up in a company-branded bag ($40)

Red Beard Restaurants is the parent company for Gillespie’s restaurants Communion, Gunshow and Revival, his BBQ pop-up Terminus City and all of his merchandise.

Kevin Gillespie Joins Founding Partners to Introduce KUDU Innovative South African-Inspired Live Fire Cooking System – Sure to Fan Flames of Desire Among Backyard Cooksters

Few are better qualified to blow the lid off the American barbecue experience than chef Kevin Gillespie, a guy who titled his first cookbook “Fire in My Belly.” Atlanta restaurateur Gillespie has joined founder Stebin Horne and his business partner, Stewart Vernon, as owners of the innovative KUDU Safari Braai outdoor life fire cooking system. The multifunctional grill, griddle and fire pit combined in one heavy gauge steel dream come true ignites flames of passion and kindles grill thrills in backyard fire enthusiasts. Gillespie explains, “With the KUDU, you are cooking without a lid and regulating the heat by creating distance from the heat source, enabling cooking on multiple surfaces simultaneously. From a culinary standpoint, I have yet to discover something I can’t do on it!”

Gillespie and Horne met a few months ago and immediately bonded over barbecue as Horne shared about the South African communal cooking technique called braai, where South African farmers weld a cooktop onto their old disc ploughs to cook for friends and family. Read more about the fascinating KUDU Nation story and cooking techniques. For Gillespie, who created the backyard beer garden Communionat his Decatur restaurant Revival, outdoor cooking is not about getting the food to the table gas-grill fast, it’s more akin to inviting friends to be a part of the experience – firing up the grill, cooking amazing food then gathering around the fire to watch embers glow. KUDU does all of that in one steely unit. While similar professional-grade wood-burning grills run toward the $5K mark, KUDU is being introduced at an affordable $750. Gillespie summarizes his excitement, “I don’t put my name on a lot of products, but I’m proud to attach my name to KUDU.” Ignite the fire. Buy KUDU here.

White Oak Pastures and Savory Institute Farm-to-Table Feast and Movies Ignite Passion to “Eat It, Wear It and Regenerate It” at Ponce City Market Nov. 4

Expect more than simply “dinner and a movie” when White Oak Pastures and Savory Institute are in charge of the evening. Find out why what you eat and wear matters while noshing on fall farm-to-table fare and viewing four short films from Savory Institute at this Ponce City Market event on Friday, Nov. 4 from 6-8 p.m. There’s a whole lot of local going on here: White Oak Pastures is providing its grass-fed meats and pastured poultry for the night’s chef-grillmasters Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow, Andreas Müller of Revival, Tal Baum of Bellina Alimentari, Reid Harrison of White Oak Pastures and Jenn Robbins, and brews flow from Second Self Beer Company (which sources from local farmers). Will Harris will share his White Oak Pastures story and approach to regenerative farming, segueing into the viewing of four globe-spanning films produced by an award-winning documentary crew for Savory Institute’s project, “Eat It, Wear It, Regenerate It: Igniting a Consumer Revolution.” Leave sustained by great food and holistic thoughts prompting conscious actions. White Oak Pastures, named a Savory Global Network Hub in 2015, serves as a center for education and support of regenerative land and animal management for farmers and consumers. Buy tickets online, $35 per person includes food and two alcoholic beverages. Delve into more details on our blog.  

White Oak Pastures Beefs Up Savory Institute Awareness with November 4 Dinner-and-a-Movie Event

Knowledge never tasted so good; just ask White Oak Pastures’ owner Will Harris. His Bluffton, Georgia, farm was named a Savory Institute Training Hub in 2015, and now he is bringing a worldwide event called “Eat It, Wear It, Regenerate It: Igniting a Consumer Revolution” to Atlanta. On Friday, Nov. 4, Harris will host the Southeastern premiere of the Institute’s world broadcast and has assembled a team of top chefs to put the “dinner” in his dinner-and-a-movie evening. 

Chefs Kevin Gillespie and Andreas Müller (Gunshow and Revival), Tal Baum (Bellina Alimentari), Reid Harrison (White Oak Pastures), Terry Koval (Wrecking Bar Brewpub) and Jenn Robbins comprise the talented culinary team behind the food stations. Each chef will highlight a protein from White Oak Pastures for guests to enjoy while mingling, learning more from Harris about his farm’s regenerative farming methods and viewing the four short films. Beer will be provided by Second Self Beer Company. The 6-8 p.m. event takes place at The Shed at Ponce City Market. Purchase $35 tickets online (include food and two alcoholic beverages).

Biscuits vs. Cornbread -- Hot Debate Item at Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium October 13-16

What are the odds the Lincoln-Douglas Biscuit-Cornbread Debate at the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium (SFA) will have pollsters tallying and he-said, she-said sound “bites” flying across the airwaves? Could happen when Alabama biscuit roller Jennifer V. Cole and chef Kevin Gillespie, a Georgia skillet licker, exchange heated perspectives in the grand tradition of SFA debates over Pie vs. Cake and Traditional vs. Competition Barbecue. Batters up and butter pats at the ready for the debate at the SFA in Oxford, Mississippi, 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 15. Surely those biscuits are flaky and tender, but Gunshow/Revival Gillespie’s cornbread is backed by grandma.

Let’s Hear It for the Grills – and Grilling Tips from Atlanta Chefs

We grilled Atlanta chefs about a topic near and dear to their flame-kissed hearts and very pertinent to a succulent gridiron season. Fire up the charcoal, but stop playing with your patties, advises Ray’s at Killer Creek executive chef Mike Fuller. Translation, for a juicy, tender burger, patty super-fresh ground beef until it just holds together.

Garrett Teckmyer, executive chef of Buckhead’s The Big Ketch, relies on planning and prep, soaking wood chips overnight then mixing them into the hot coals to add a nice smoky flavor to burgers. Teckmyer encourages branching out and grilling something different. He suggests wrapping crab legs in a wet paper towel, enfolding them in an aluminum foil packet and tossing the packet on the grill for five minutes. 

Aria’s executive chef/owner Gerry Klaskala divulges that his Big Green Egg is his secret weapon. He rebels against lighter fluid, suggesting food tastes better when grillers use a chimney fire starter.

Gypsy Kitchen executive chef Matthew Ridgway advises using wood-based charcoal, pointing out that even though it’s pricier, less charcoal is needed.

Naturally, celebrity chef/owner of Gunshow and Revival and “Pure Pork Awesomeness” cookbook author Kevin Gillespie’s favorite thing to grill is pig. He even has a simplified Korean barbecue recipe in the book for the ever versatile meat, using thinly sliced pork shoulder and “whatever condiments you have.”

When it comes to ingredients, our chefs agree: buy the best you can find. As a huge Penn State and NASCAR infield tailgater, Marlow’s Tavern executive chef/co-founder John Metz always urges using quality steak, ribs or brisket, and he implores grillers not to compromise. Fuller prefers turning to a trusted butcher for hand-cut steaks that are at least an inch thick and choosing a rib-eye or a New York strip that has a 1/4-inch fat cap, which will melt and baste the steak as it cooks. Ridgway advises letting your grilled masterpiece rest for 10 minutes and pouring those delicious salty, meaty juices into your baked potatoes.

Leaf through the New Community Farmers Markets Fall Cookbook for Recipes from Aria, Gunshow, Gypsy Kitchen, Revival, Sublime and Others

Atlanta chefs astutely follow the seasons when creating dishes for their locally sourced menus. Rake in some of their best fall harvest recipes from the pages of the newly released Community Farmers Market Fall Cookbook. Chef Kathryn King of Aria shares her recipe for orecchiette pasta and butternut squash with balsamic, fig and caramelized onion banner butter. Chef Kevin Gillespie, of Gunshow and Revival, clocks in with a well-grounded root vegetable soup, and Revival’s Andreas Müller tosses in his kale salad with boiled dressing. Add Gypsy Kitchen chef Matthew Ridgway’s green tomato chutney to your harvest table and save room for sweet potato pie from chef Kamal Grant of Sublime Doughnuts. Purchase the seasonal cookbooks, $12 each, at Community Farmers Market information booths, Cover Books and Preserving Place.

Oktoberfest Fun Brewing at Communion

When you’re munchin’ in the ATL area instead of München for Oktoberfest, oompah over to Communion, the outdoor beer garden at Kevin Gillespie’s Decatur restaurant Revival. Communion is well stocked for Oktoberfest “bier” imbibers, offering seasonal brews like Wild Heaven Craft Beers’ Autumn Defense and Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest, European-style draft and bottled beers, Old World-style wine, punches and batch-made cocktails. Hit the bright red food truck for some of the German-inspired snacks on chef Andreas Müeller’s menu then settle in at communal picnic tables or exercise your playful side over horseshoes, darts, Giant Jenga and cornhole. Euros? Dollars? Nein. Pay for drinks and snacks with tokens, $5 each, including tax and gratuity. Inside Revival, the buzz is about Southern fare, family recipes and the cornbread, recipient of Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta 2016 “Best Cornbread” designation. Outside, take a walk on the Oktoberfest side. Communion opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday evenings, weather permitting. Check the day’s status here. 

Gunshow Welcomes Billy Cole as Restaurant’s First Pastry Chef

Atlanta chef, restaurateur, speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie welcomes Billy Cole to his Gunshow team. Cole, the first pastry chef for the Glenwood Park restaurant, totes a well-balanced background that includes 12 years of culinary experience in both the pastry and savory sectors. The innovative chef comes to Gunshow from The Luminary, a French brasserie where he served as chef de cuisine for two years. Before The Luminary, Cole was the assistant pastry chef under James Beard Award semi-finalist Aaron Russell at Restaurant Eugene for four years. His foundation-building timeline includes overseeing pastry production for The Chocolate Bar in Decatur and staging at Michelin-starred restaurants In de Wulf in Dranouter, Belgium, and Manresa in Los Gatos, California. The graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York began his culinary career working for chef Richard Blais in Atlanta as chef de partie at Element Gastro Lounge and Food Lab, then as sous chef at Home Restaurant & Bar and at culinary production company Trail Blais. Calling Gunshow “Atlanta’s best sounding board for culinary creativity,” Cole loves the freedom of “not being restricted to one genre of cuisine...and being surrounded by so many great young chefs in the Gunshow kitchen.” Taste and see what he’s all about --- the restaurant serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made one month in advance online.

Chef Kevin Gillespie Judges Children’s “Top Chef” Competition for Quality Care for Children on July 8

Chef, restaurateur, speaker and author Kevin Gillespie will join Mara Davis and Steven Carse (King of Pops) to judge a midday team competition for Quality Care for Children. As part of the organization’s July 8 Health and Field Day at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Atlanta’s Westside, teams composed of two adults and 10 children each will go toque to toque, “Top Chef”-style, to create nutritious and innovative dishes. The catch is Play-Doh stands in for real ingredients! Quality Care for Children focuses on creating excellence in child care and early learning by providing quality training and resources to child care providers and ensuring affordable, quality care for early learning experiences.

Kevin Gillespie Teaches “Pure Pork Awesomeness” at Salud! in Whole Foods Avalon June 27

Celebrated chef Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow, Revival,Communion and Terminus City trots over to Whole Foods Market - Avalon in Alpharetta on Monday, June 27, for an evening of “Pure Pork Awesomeness.” The red-bearded Atlanta native will share his fiery passion for pork at a 7-9 p.m. class and book signing at Salud! Cooking School. Learn how to select, prepare and fork into pork in new recipes. Keep that fork handy to sample the “Pure Pork Awesomeness” class tasting menu: curried pork samosas, Korean barbecued bulgogi, grilled pork tenderloin with Spanish-style garlic shrimp and banoffee trifle with candied bacon. Tickets to the exclusive evening are priced at $75 each and include one signed copy of Gillespie’s cookbook. Register here and now.