A James Beard Award winner has been named the executive chef at 5Church, set to open its doors at 1197 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown's Colony Square this spring .
RJ Cooper, who began his career working under Guenter Seeger at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead and Gilbert Le Coze at Brasserie Le Coze in Atlanta, won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2007 for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef for his work at Washington, D.C. restaurant Vidalia.
Cooper will create the Atlanta menu with partner Jamie Lynch, who also oversees the menus of the Charlotte and Charleston 5Church locations.
“RJ’s cooking philosophy aligns very closely with our management style – we all seek to challenge the culinary status quo,” managing partner Ayman Kamel, who lives in Atlanta and will operate the restaurant locally, said in a statement. “He knows his way around the culinary landscape of Atlanta, and his pioneering skills will serve the city’s discerning diners well.”
When it opens, 5Church will serve dinner nightly, with lunch and weekend brunch service to follow later.
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