Georgia Boy and Southern Belle by Joey Ward Bring Back Childhood Wonder

Chef Joey Ward's Journey

Chef Joey Ward’s journey started at a young age after stumbling upon some cooking shows. “It was all I've ever wanted to do since I was four years old. I became infatuated how you could create art out of something that is edible,” he explains. “I set forth and never looked back.”

Discovering his passion early on led Ward to become the youngest in his class at the Culinary Institute of America, where he learned the fundamentals. At first, he thought that he needed to be in New York or Europe to thrive, but he found his heart drawn to Atlanta. Back in the city, he took on roles across the industry (Cherokee Town and Country Club, St. Regis Hotel and a catering company), but never felt truly at home.

Finally, he found a culinary mentor in Kevin Gillespie. First joining Woodfire Grill and later leading Gunshow for seven years, Ward learned a lot about flavor. “His food tastes great. He taught me how to season properly, use acid and create different fun flavors,” says Ward. “Anything could be on the menu. There were no rules. You could have a very high end avant-garde ‘tweezer food,’ next to a cheeseburger.”

Ward also discovered his own passion for a farm-to-table culinary philosophy. “That's where I felt most at home, seeing farmers bring in products and wash the dirt off them.” Since then, Ward has continuously worked directly with farmers for a wide range of Georgia ingredients, including peaches, pecans, olive oil, cattle, pigs and oysters. He smiles, “Georgia has great growing seasons, so we have an abundance of products available year round.”

Drawing on lessons from every stage of his career, Chef Ward went on to open Southern Belle and Georgia Boy, which deliver dining experiences designed to make guests smile.

Southern Belle is named after his Miss Georgia ex-wife who helped open the restaurants, paying homage in a celebration of “strong Southern women.” Ward explains, “I just always have been inspired by the women in my life. I was raised by my mom and my grandma and have always been surrounded by strong women.” Focused on more casual, smaller plates, everything feels what he calls “authentically Atlanta” – local ingredients, international flavors and a bit of whimsy and fun.

In the back of the restaurant? Georgia Boy, which refers to his grandfather and himself, both of whom are rare native Atlantans. “I wanted to really own that. As creative and as technique-driven as touted places, but also have a sense of home and approachability. I'm a local Southern guy.” Focused on storytelling about his childhood and Southern-grown products, Ward’s cuisine is a true celebration of Georgia.

Interview with Chef Joey Ward

What are some highlights on the menus?

Autumn Leaves: It looks like a pile of leaves because the leaves are falling outside. They are made of local sweet potatoes because sweet potatoes are in season. I thought about being a kid and playing in the leaves in fall. Instant memory trigger.

Foie Gras Candied Apple: It looks like a candied apple. It's foie gras, but the center is apple pie filling. The glaze is made of North Georgia apple cider.

Georgia Beef: I wanted to explore every cattle rancher in Georgia, represented on one dish. We did six different bites, all from different farms. We gave guests a virtual tour of each farm to experience being on the farm. It ties back to that childhood nostalgia of my bright red Viewfinder.

Hot Dog Ice Cream: It's a slaw dog. It's actually ice cream that we freeze into a mold to look like a hot dog, but it's made of Georgia all-beef hot dogs. Our coleslaw is house-made fermented chow-chow with crème fraîche. And then a big dollop of sturgeon caviar. We serve it with a hat from The Varsity.

Olive Oil Candles: For our bread, we have candles made of olive oil. We'll take it off the table and dress the dish with the candle that's been sitting in front of you the whole time and then tell the story of Georgia olive oil and why it's important to the agriculture.

Spring Salad: Different textures of vegetables, some raw, some roasted, some pickled, some crispy fried. Beautifully arranged, along with edible flowers and leaves. We cover it completely in what looks to be pollen (made out of Georgia olive oil), because it's spring in Georgia. You know how the pollen gets.

Sorbet:  We had a sorbet that was a palate cleanser, but it tasted like drinking from a garden hose in the middle of summer. That is a very distinctive flavor. I had a guy tear up. That's what it's about, making people forget about the daily grind for a minute.

Tomato Sandwich: My granddad's tomato sandwich. A one-bite amuse that we do during the summer. It looks like a small pink sphere, but then it disappears in your mouth and tastes like a tomato sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise. My granddad played a huge role in my childhood – my main father figure. He inspired me to become a chef.

Vietnamese Chicken and Waffles: I beat Bobby Flay a few years ago with that dish. We do a smash burger during the summertime only, which is very popular, much to my chagrin.

Your dishes are so creative. Why do you approach them that way?

I'm a kid that grew up wanting to play with his food, and I just never stopped. Having something that's edible but also triggers that emotion or that makes you laugh. We pride ourselves in being not just dining, but an experience. Whenever you're spending that kind of money, I want to leave that experience remembering something for forever. ‘Remember two years ago we went to Georgia Boy, and they had a snow globe with edible glass around Christmas time?’ If you're spending that much money and don't remember anything, you might as well just get a pizza.

What advice would you give to young chefs?

Stay focused and enjoy what you do. How you do anything is how you do everything. Integrity is what happens when no one's around. If you think something's wrong, don't try to skate by, go ask the chef. Let's talk about it. Let's taste it. Let's figure out what happened and correct it, so that we know the right way to do it going forward.

Favorite memory?

Opening night, walking out into the dining room. There were people starting to come in. I just took a big breath and was like, “we did it.”

Hero image: ©Cameren Rogers/Georgia Boy