Congratulations to Jarrett Stieber, chef at Bib Gourmand Little Bear and the 2023 MICHELIN Guide Atlanta Young Chef Award Winner!
Motivated by making his loved ones proud, Stieber's culinary journey started as an adolescent by watching Emeril Live and reading Kitchen Confidential by the late Anthony Bourdain. Inspired by both chefs' travels and experiences, Stieber knew it was his calling and began working weekends at local Morningside spot Alon's Bakery + Market.
Once out of high school, Stieber left the University of North Carolina in lieu of tastier pastures—Le Cordon Bleu in Tucker, Georgia. Since then, the Young Chef Award winner has apprenticed and learned from some of Atlanta's top names. However, for Stieber, food is about bridging culture with flavor along with utilizing local ingredients.
Below, the chef/owner gives us the secret sauce on what he has for breakfast, Atlanta's food scene, and everything in between. Cheers!
What inspired you to become a chef?
I watched Yan Can Cook as a kid, which I loved, but I didn’t want to try cooking professionally until I was fifteen and had gotten into Emeril Live on TV and ‘Kitchen Confidential by the late, great Tony Bourdain!
How has your relationship with cooking changed as you progressed with your career?
My relationship with cooking has changed so much from the fifteen year old me to now. I'd say the largest change has been becoming so committed to sourcing locally and thinking about my menu based on what’s available, rather than ordering what I need to execute dish ideas. There are few things that irritate me more than when a restaurant puts the ‘we source locally whenever possible’ asterisk. It’s such BS! You can always source locally, stop using the words farm to table as a marketing term to trick people into thinking you’re doing something you’re only partially doing (or less!).
What motivates you in the kitchen?
I’m motivated by making my family, my wife and my friends proud. I’m motivated by showing my staff how hard I work to make sure that they’re taken care of and supported. I’m motivated by my internal drive to show how determined and productive I can be.
I want to show people that you can have high end and great food in a casual, affordable setting. Every single dish you make, every guest interaction you have, every experience you provide could be your last, and if that’s the case, what do you want the legacy you leave to be?
How would you describe Atlanta's food scene?
Atlanta’s food scene, like the city in general, is wonderfully enigmatic. It doesn’t make any sense, and it is entirely unique. It's creative, playful, artistic and devoid of a its own stereotype, which separates it from other big cities where you feel the need to ‘be very New York’ or ‘be very LA'.
You can be anything in Atlanta, and if it’s good, people will support it.
What do you have for breakfast?
An espresso and my prep list!
How do you utilize seasonal ingredients?
Seasonal ingredients are the backbone for everything we do, from the kitchen to our cocktails. We are the top restaurant in the Georgia Organics Farmer Champion program for two years running, both for top percentage of total food cost being sourced locally, and top percentage of local and organic spending. About 95% of our food cost is local, with the exception of pantry items like spices, fryer oil, kosher salt, and bar citrus in between Georgia winter citrus season.
Do you cook at home, or do you leave work at work?
I almost never cook at home. The last thing I want to do after work is more cooking and dishes, so my wife handles most of the cooking at home.
Favorite food-related show, book, program, etc?
I loved Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and his shows, No Reservations and Parts Unknown. The most underrated food show to me is Martin Picard’s The Wild Chef, which was this amazing Viking-esque Quebecois cooking. I am also a big fan of Jack Maxwell’s Booze Travel, and Ratatouille, especially the scene where the rat eats the apples and cheese from the trash while all the fireworks start going off at the same time!
Hero image: Sophia Van Dyk/Little Bear
