Aria hires 2nd new executive chef a year after founder’s retirement

Buckhead fine dining restaurant Aria has hired a new executive chef in another shake-up among Atlanta’s elite kitchens this year.

Austin Goetzman will take over as Aria’s executive chef, according to a news release. Most recently, he was chef de cuisine at Lazy Betty, the Midtown tasting menu restaurant that saw the departure of co-executive chef Aaron Phillips and other senior staff members in April.

Goetzman takes the place of former executive chef Joseph Harrison one year after Harrison was named the successor to Aria’s owner and founding chef, Gerry Klaskala. Now retired, Klaskala ran Aria for 25 years, earning wide acclaim and building a loyal following.

As Klaskala transitioned to retirement, longtime general manager Andres Loaiza bought Aria and Harrison was hired from Common Thread, a well-respected restaurant in Savannah. Amid the fanfare of Klaskala’s retirement, the James Beard Foundation named the restaurant a finalist for its national Outstanding Hospitality award. Aria was well-reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the transition and earned the No. 7 spot on the Atlanta 50.

Joseph Harrison was announced as Aria's executive chef in June 2025; he left the position less than a year later. (Courtesy of Brandon Amato)

Harrison departed Aria in late 2025 for personal reasons, Loaiza said in a phone call with the AJC.

“Of course, I never wanted to be without a chef,” Loaiza admitted, “But the whole thing with me taking over Aria has been about just allowing the restaurant to evolve.”

Goetzman worked at Aria under Klaskala earlier in his career before climbing the ladder through restaurants like the French Laundry in Napa Valley, as well as EL Ideas and Acadia in Chicago. He began as a sous chef at Lazy Betty in the restaurant’s original location on DeKalb Avenue. Goetzman was a key member of the team that shepherded Lazy Betty to a new location in Midtown, where it earned a Michelin Star, a 4-star review from the AJC - the maximum at the time - and the No. 2 ranking on the Atlanta 50.

Loaiza told the AJC his perspective had shifted since he took over Aria more than a year ago. Comparing the hiring processes for Harrison and Goetzman now, Loaiza said he felt he was “in very different places.”

“I have a much better understanding of what we need to do to get to the next five years,” Loaiza said. “And I think the evolution needs to be much more substantial.”

Since Goetzman’s hire, the first-time executive chef has been working “at lightspeed,” Loaiza said. Aria paused its tasting menu service May 18 to revamp its a la carte menu, losing some of the fan favorites that remained from Klaskala’s tenure.

“I think people were more ready for change than I thought they were,” Loaiza said.