ESQUIRE CHEFS AT THE RITZ

HEADED BY CHEF TODD RICHARDS, SUPERSTARS COOK FOR ATLANTA

I met Todd Richards while he was the Executive Chef at Louisville’s Oak Room in the Seelbach Hotel. When he assumed the gourmet helm at Buckhead’s Café at the Ritz-Carlton, I quickly booked a reservation and dined, confirming glorious memories of my previous dining experience and realized that Richards was rapidly advancing his seemingly unmatchable wizardry with food.

Now, here’s some great news for Atlanta. Chef Todd Richards was just named one of four new “Chefs to Watch” in the November issue of Esquire. For those who haven’t experienced his menu, Richards, along with the other three "Chefs to Watch,” will gather at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead for a first-ever collaboration to create lunch and dinner on Monday, November 14.

Each chef will prepare one course of a four-course menu. Adding even more to this event, acclaimed sommelier Linda Torres Alarcon will be pairing wines. For lunch, the courses will be slightly different and smaller, and the wine pours will also be appropriate to the portions.

Esquire lavished praise for Chef Richards: “Following European masters at the Ritz, Richards, an American, shows his own sumptuous style in dishes like foie gras with huckleberry gastrique.” This recognition follows Richards’ well-received recent appearance and lively cooking demonstration with Al Roker on NBC’s TODAY.

The other chefs are Tyler Brown The Capitol Grille, Nashville, Sachin Chopra, All Spice, San Mateo, California and Scott Anderson, Elements, Princeton, N.J.

Lunch begins with a reception 11:30 a.m. with seating at 12 Noon and $65 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuities The Dinner reception is 7 p.m., with seating at 7:30 p.m. $85 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuities.