Photograph courtesy of The Chastain
Two Atlanta restaurants—Bacchanalia and the Chastain—won Michelin Green Stars in 2023. Started in 2020, the Green Star recognizes an establishment’s commitment to environmental stewardship. We talked to Christopher Grossman, owner and executive chef of the Chastain, about cooking and his secrets of sustainability.
Atlanta magazine: Do you classify your culinary training as traditional in the typical sense of the word, or nontraditional?
Christopher Grossman: I never went to culinary school. I assumed I was to pursue engineering or tech fields (like friends and family). Cooking was an interim activity until I could finish my computer science degree. I never intended to stay in the kitchen.
After my wife, Laura Charon, graduated, we left Michigan for Atlanta in 2007. I started at Aria under chef Gerry Klaskala, and worked my way through his kitchen. When I became sous chef/chef de cuisine, I returned to school, working at the restaurant at night. One day in philosophy class, I found myself writing down dish ideas, my prep list and grocery list, and drawing pictures of food. I asked myself, What am I doing? That’s when I returned to cooking, to do what I love.
Our time here is limited and precious. Anything I am going to do is worth doing well. I wanted to change my life and perspective on food, so I pursued working for the French Laundry; they finally gave me a call, and we moved to California in 2013. We returned to Atlanta in 2014.
AM: How did your background shape your approach to food and foodways?
CG: Thomas Keller said it best: All other things being equal, the chef with the best ingredients wins. If you’ve never walked a field looking for old fence rows to pick asparagus for dinner, have you really ever tasted the true flavor of asparagus?
I focus on sourcing the absolute best while being mindful and ethical. We supplement what we grow with produce from…
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