The 2025 James Beard Foundation award for outstanding hospitality escaped Aria on Monday night, but the restaurant stood out as Atlanta’s lone finalist entry.
The Atlanta fine dining restaurant has been riding a wave of accolades and big announcements since February, when it was named a James Beard award semifinalist in the hospitality category. When semifinalists for this national award were whittled down to five finalists in April, Aria remained in the running. It was also the only Atlanta restaurant to make it into the finalist round, though another restaurateur with a local connection won one of the night’s major accolades.
Chad Houser of Dallas, Texas, won the Humanitarian of the Year award for his work with Cafe Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant that employs justice-involved youth. Cafe Momentum opened a location in downtown Atlanta earlier this year and, in his acceptance speech, Houser quoted Atlanta rapper Killer Mike.
“As my friend Killer Mike says, ‘If all of us do a little bit, then none of us has to do a lot,’” Houser said.
According to Houser, Cafe Momentum has employed more than 1,200 teenagers.
Tonight, four members of Aria’s team were among those gathered at the James Beard awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago to celebrate the honor. The award was ultimately won by Atomix in New York City.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The Beard finalist nod is the latest headline for the 25-year-old Buckhead restaurant. In March, co-founder and executive chef Gerry Klaskala announced his retirement after a 55-year career. The restaurant also has changed hands, with ownership passing to longtime general manager Andrés Loaiza. And last week, Aria named Joseph Harrison as Klaskala’s successor. Harrison comes to Atlanta after serving as co-chef with Brandon Carter at Common Thread in Savannah where the pair garnered their own James Beard nod this year as semifinalists in the Best Chef Southeast category.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The outstanding hospitality award recognizes restaurants that foster a welcoming environment and consistent excellence in service, atmosphere and operations, according to the James Beard Foundation website. Besides Aria, other finalists in this category were the eventual winner Atomix, Archipelago in Seattle, Harbor House Inn in Elk, California, and Mixtli in San Antonio.
In a phone call at the conclusion of the ceremony, Loaiza told the AJC that he and his team were thrilled to be in the hunt for the award.
“How can you not feel great?” he said. “When you’re standing in the middle of that room and you’re looking at all the people you admire, and you’re like, ‘I’m in the room.’”
Loaiza said he was looking forward to connecting with the other finalists in Aria’s category at a post-ceremony reception. He also found inspiration among the night’s winners, mentioning a speech given by Bobby Stuckey, a co-owner of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, which took home the award for outstanding restaurant.
“He said something like, ‘If you’re an immigrant and don’t know the language, we have a job for you. If you’re a single parent that needs a flexible schedule, we have a job for you,” Loaiza said. “We can really provide a place for people to make a great life and build a career. I loved that part of the evening.”
Loaiza told the AJC in an interview last week that among all the award categories, this one held the most meaning for him. “It speaks to the core of what we do,” he said. “Our goal has always been to create an experience that centers around the guests.”
He also saw it as a nod to Aria’s 32-person staff. “It takes a lot of discipline and hard work. This is an acknowledgment to them that our hard work pays off,” Loaiza said.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Loaiza said that the restaurant won’t rest on its hospitality laurels as it enters the next chapter in its evolution under new leadership. “It’s not so much about change,” he said. “It’s about the things that people love about us and leaning into those … making sure that when you come here, you feel like you’re coming home and that you feel that warmth.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
As for the menu, Loaiza sees a balanced mix of old and new as Klaskala marks his final day in Aria’s kitchen June 18. “(We are) keeping some of the things that people love from Gerry because I think those are memories that people have and we don’t want to tinker with those memories,” Loaiza said. “But at the same time (we) allow Joseph to have a place to express his talent, to show us what he does.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
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