Omnivore Atlanta

It’s official. Michael Tuohy has sold Woodfire Grill. Here is the official announcement:

Effective Friday, Aug. 8, the new owners of Woodfire Grill are seasoned restaurant managers Nicolas Quinones and Bernard Moussa of Five Senses Restaurants. The partners plan to continue the Woodfire Grill mission of providing Atlantans locally-sourced, sustainable and organic food originally started by its founder and chef, Michael Tuohy. The existing kitchen team will remain and will be led by Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie, Tuohy’s chef de cuisine for the past two years.

“Kevin shares my passion for sourcing and utilizing products from local farmers,” said Tuohy. “I know he will carry on the tradition, and add to it, as he assumes the role of executive chef at Woodfire Grill.”

“Woodfire guests can expect the same great dining experience they have been used to,” said Quinones. “The transition will be seamless to diners, thanks to Michael’s support and generosity. We hope many of his fans will come in and meet us.”

“When I decided to move back to California, I had discussions with several potential buyers for Woodfire Grill,” said Tuohy. “The partners of Five Senses really impressed me with their enthusiasm and commitment to carry on what we have worked so hard to build. I feel like I am leaving my restaurant in very good hands and look forward to watching the new team grow in this new era for Woodfire Grill.”

“We are indebted to Michael for creating such a wonderful restaurant and for his efforts to share his knowledge about the importance of eating locally and supporting our farmers, and the great taste that comes from that,” said Moussa.

Tuohy, who is moving to California to open Grange restaurant in Sacramento’s The Citizen Hotel, will be in the restaurant through August 12.

Quinones and Moussa worked together most recently at Loca Luna.

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Among the restaurants rumored to be closing is Woodfire Grill. I’ve confirmed with owner-chef Michael Tuohy that the restaurant is indeed for sale, but he has no plans to close it. Tuohy is headed back to California. I’ll have more details tomorrow.

UPDATE: I just received this news release:

Chef Michael Tuohy announced today that he will leave Atlanta to return to his roots in Northern California. A San Francisco native who has been in the forefront of Atlanta’s burgeoning restaurant scene for the past 22 years, Tuohy will return to the Golden State to focus on California cuisine.

He is joining forces with the Joie de Vivre Hospitality Group, California’s largest boutique hotel company, and the Rubicon Development Group, on the recommendation of his former boss and mentor, Joyce Goldstein, to launch a farm-to-table restaurant called Grange.

Grange will be situated at The Citizen Hotel, a new 200-room stylish boutique property situated in a historic building located one block from the state capital in Sacramento. Grange will feature Tuohy’s signature style of using fresh, local ingredients from small farms as well as a 1500 selection all California wine list displayed in a 24 foot tall wine tower.

“We’re thrilled to have Michael returning home to assist us in creating a showcase that celebrates California cuisine and wines near our state capitol,” says Dave Hoeman, vice president of food and beverage at Joie de Vivre Hospitality Group. “This will be a great stage for Michael and a great talent for us.”

At this time, Tuohy’s Atlanta restaurant Woodfire Grill is officially for sale, and has several prospective buyers. Tuohy hopes that the “right buyer” will step forward and carry on with the same philosophy that has made Woodfire a truly special restaurant.

“It is all the wonderful people that I will miss the most: the special longtime loyal customers, many of which I have served and cooked for during my 22 years here, the farmers, the special relationships, staff. It’s very emotional,” said Tuohy.

August 12 is the official six year anniversary date for Woodfire Grill and Tuohy will host his “Farewell Dinner” for his longtime fans and friends in Atlanta.

“Of course, I invite everyone to come dine with me in Sacramento!” Tuohy said. “We’re located just one hour from Napa Valley, an hour from the Sierras and approximately two hours north east of San Francisco.”

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When I returned from running the Peachtree Road Race on Friday, my wife suggested that we go to dinner at Woodfire Grill that night. Perhaps she was hoping to catch me off-guard and mentally woozy — you know, more so than usual — to coax me into taking the family to her favorite restaurant. She made a compelling case, however, because that night Woodfire offered a three-course, $29 price fixe Pig Roast, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Save the Hooch fund. The menu also featured “all you can drink” (with $2 suggested donation) glasses of Sweetwater Brewery’s India Pale Ale and Hummer, a summer Belgian white ale with hints of orange and coriander in the flavor. The phrases “all you can drink beer” and “pig roast” worked their magic on me, so I suggested we go for it.

It seems like a great new tradition for July 4. Woodfire’s elegant approach to Southern cooking provided, as usual, for a delicious meal. The entrées included a salad of arugula and luscious heirloom tomatoes, along with cornbread croutons that would make an addictive bar snack; a slow-roasted Berkshire hog from Gum Creek Farm in spicy (but not overpowering) barbecue sauce, served with grits and succotash; and blueberry and peach crisp with vanilla ice cream. It’s possible that I’ve never tasted better off-the-bone BBQ pork before, certainly none so lean and tender, and the vinegary sauce didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat. The pork didn’t come in the kind of huge portion that would buckle a paper plate at a backyard barbecue, but was ample to whet my appetite. I probably shouldn’t each too much pork, anyway.

Part of what made our Independence Day visit to Woodfire a special occasion was that my wife and I brought our five-and-a-half year-old daughter with us. She likes princesses and books like Fancy Nancy, and we knew that she’d be excited at the chance to go to a nice restaurant, although we refrained from wearing neckties or other formal wear — it was a pig roast, after all. We pointed out the wood-fired ovens and the cheese cave to her, and Woodfire proved quite accommodating to her, plating half-sized portions of the entrées for her, putting the sauces on the side (and cutting the price in half as well).

If they do it again next year, we’ll be the first to show up.

(Image courtesy of Sweetwater Brewing Company)

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Epicurious.com has put out a list of the top 10 farm-to-table restaurants in the U.S. and our very own, Woodfire Grill, has made the list.
Here is what they had to say about chef Michael Tuohy’s Cheshire Bridge eatery:

Chef Michael Tuohy has long been a supporter of organic growing, and helped launch Georgia’s Organics, a nonprofit group that promotes healthy, local, sustainable food in the diet of people across the state. While he uses local produce to create dishes, his cooking shows North Californian influences, hinting at his San Francisco roots. His commitment to adapting his menu with the seasons is clear: The day’s fresh, local ingredients take center stage on the homepage. And even the decor has a local theme: Tuohy asked Atlanta-based craftsman Tracy Hartley to make some of the tables and wood paneling for the Grill. In many cases, the menu pays homage to the farms that provided the fare: There’s a Wood-Oven-Roasted Bramlett Farm Trout with Anson Mills Grits, Steel-Pan Greens, and Herb Butter; and a Chilled French White Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche (an aïoli sauce with chopped herbs, capers, lemon juice, and spices) and Ashland Farm Micro Celery.

Click HERE to view the rest of the locally-minded restaurants that made the list complete with a photo slide show.

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Epicurious.com, the website for Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines, is featuring a story entitled “The Top 10 Farm-to-Table Restaurants.” Among the 10 is Atlanta’s Woodfire Grill:

Chef Michael Tuohy has long been a supporter of organic growing, and helped launch Georgia’s Organics, a nonprofit group that promotes healthy, local, sustainable food in the diet of people across the state. While he uses local produce to create dishes, his cooking shows North Californian influences, hinting at his San Francisco roots.

His commitment to adapting his menu with the seasons is clear: The day’s fresh, local ingredients take center stage on the homepage. And even the decor has a local theme: Tuohy asked Atlanta-based craftsman Tracy Hartley to make some of the tables and wood paneling for the Grill.

In many cases, the menu pays homage to the farms that provided the fare: There’s a Wood-Oven-Roasted Bramlett Farm Trout with Anson Mills Grits, Steel-Pan Greens, and Herb Butter; and a Chilled French White Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche (an aïoli sauce with chopped herbs, capers, lemon juice, and spices) and Ashland Farm Micro Celery.

Tuohy is indisputably our city’s pioneer in this area. Be sure to check out his blog here.

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This just in from Woodfire Grill:

Soft shell crabs tonight! Only 5 dozen came into the city this morning and they will be here at Woodfire for tonight! They will be available on a “first-come, first-served basis”. Every spring we look forward to this day!

We also just got in some very fresh pastured lamb from the Johnson Family Farm in North Alabama and are about to spit roast the legs for tonight! Johnson Family Farm is a responsible producer of all natural grass-fed lamb.

Woodfire Grill is located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Rd., 404-347-9566.

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Michael Tuohy, chef-owner of Woodfire Grill, is maintaining a blog, frontburner, that is a good-read for anyone interested in the organic movement and food politics. I’m not sure why he avoids the use of capital letters, but here’s an excerpt from his (disturbing) Feb. 20 post:

for the past couple of years, i have been on a mission to find local farms that are raising animals, such as hogs, beef, trout, etc. in sustainable and humane ways to supply me. i have succeeded with a couple of farms that can produce for me amazing hogs on a consistent basis, and finally, some decent grassfed beef.

these small producers really don’t have the capability of supplying me with cases of “cuts” read loins, or ribeyes, hangar steaks etc. so, I feel the obligation to purchase the animals whole or in some cases primal cuts. i actually find enjoyment and pride in knowing how to butcher a whole hog, utilize every part for a different process ie; sausage, pancetta, coppa, lardo and other charcuterie.

today, a health inspector said I can’t do this anymore unless i apply for a “special variance” to the code. i cannot serve my house made sausages or cured meats to my customers?? this is quite ludicrous! especially since we have not had an inspection in 18 months! the inspector started by telling me how short staffed they are. should this be my problem? i can’t tell my customers that we are short staffed and expect them to feel sorry for me.

Tuohy has long been our city’s most progressive chef in terms of promoting local and organic produce, sustainable farming and healthy eating. His blog includes entries on the recent Georgia Organics Conference, presidential politics, the water supply and more. Read it all here.

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Wish a happy anniversary to Woodfire Grill, whose chef, Michael Tuohy, and staff are celebrating five years this month. Join them in the festivities Wed.-Sat., Sept. 19-22, when you can enjoy a meal focusing on a different region every night, starting with Provence and ending up in northern California. The menu for each night is $55 per person; add an optional wine pairing for $25 more, or enjoy wines by the glass at $5 each. Some of the proceeds go to benefit Slow Food Atlanta.

To reserve your spot, call 404-347-9055.

Woodfire Grill, 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road.

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