Pitmaster Bryan Furman joins Owens & Co. and more from Atlanta’s restaurant scene

Barbecue legend Bryan Furman announced his return, Chaka Khan will open a cafe at Serenbe, Magic City Kitchen launched a collaboration with a red-hot rapper and more of the week’s happenings from the metro Atlanta restaurant scene.

Bryan Furman returns to Atlanta

Owens & Co., the Smyrna-based craft barbecue restaurant, announced this week that pitmaster Bryan Furman would join its team.

Furman is a widely respected but mercurial talent in the barbecue world who has blazed his own nontraditional career path in the restaurant industry. Once known for B’s Cracklin’ BBQ in Atlanta, Furman abandoned plans of reopening his own restaurant after it burned down and the process of reopening was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, Furman embarked on a series of residencies at other well-established restaurants. His most recent was in Portland, Oregon, where he planned to stay for three months but was so successful, he stayed most of the year. Furman wrapped up the residency in part because he needed time to teach his class at Harvard University on the thermodynamics of barbecue.

In a conversation with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Furman said he was happy to be back in Atlanta and looked forward to making barbecue with his friend Robert Owens, owner of Owens & Co. Furman made it clear that he’s not taking on any ownership stake or managerial role at the restaurant; he simply wants to cook and found a role with the flexibility to allow him to pursue his other projects, like teaching at Harvard.

“It’s great to be able to work with a friend,” Furman said.

The Owens & Co. announcement included a few other changes. Brisket and short ribs will only be available by preorder, with orders placed on Thursdays. And a few of Furman’s dishes will be added to the menu, including his peach mustard sauce, South Carolina hash and rice and a shareable half-turkey.

“I’m really back,” Furman said with a laugh.

6255 Riverview Road, Mableton. 404-467-4427, owens-co.com

New restaurants planned at forthcoming Sandy Springs development

Hillcrest, a new development coming to Sandy Springs, announced its first wave of retail tenants this week.

The mixed-use project, which will be next door to City Springs, will open with a location of the healthy fast-casual chain Salted Melon, as well as a second location of Buckhead-based ice cream shop Chastain Creamery.

Salted Melon, a chain headquartered in Charlotte, opened its first Atlanta location earlier this year. The Hillcrest restaurant will be its second in the metro area. Salted Melon is known for healthy bowls, smoothies, sandwiches, wraps and coffee.

6150 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandry Springs. hillcrestcitysprings.com

Chaka Khan opening cafe at Serenbe

The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, will open a cafe in the Chattahoochee Hills community of Serenbe on Sunday, according to a news release.

The new restaurant is called Plantbaed — it’s not a typo, there’s no letter S — and will feature plant-based food and drink, with menu items like the black bean-based Chaka Bowl with Through the Fire sauce, walnut meat street tacos and a soursop colada.

Two other Plantbaed cafes have already opened in metro Atlanta, though Khan was not involved with those announcements.

In addition to the restaurant’s grand opening celebration Saturday, the Chaka Khan Foundation will donate a playground communication board to the Terra School at Serenbe. The board is designed to help nonspeaking children communicate with their peers and participate in play, the announcement said. The Chaka Khan Foundation was established to provide support for neurodivergent people.

11105 Serenbe Lane, Palmetto. chakasplantbaedcafe.com

Magic City Kitchen names wing combo after Atlanta rapper

The iconic Atlanta wing restaurant Magic City Kitchen has named its 10-piece lemon pepper wing plate Belly Gang after a shoutout in the hit song “WTF Goin” by Belly Gang Kushington, according to a news release.

The song has been on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine weeks and was featured as the song of the week on Popcast from The New York Times. Its music video features a shot of a helicopter landing in the Magic City parking lot.

Fans can celebrate the collaboration with limited-edition merchandise from Magic City, which features the brand’s logo with the strip club’s name swapped for the words Belly Gang.

Magic City Kitchen is available to order on DoorDash and Uber Eats.

241 Forsyth St. SW, Atlanta. 404-495-4808, magiccitykitchen.com

Restaurant openings and announcements

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams will open its first scoop shop in south-metro Atlanta when it debuts a new store Nov. 5 at the Avenue in Peachtree City, according to a news release.

232 City Circle, Peachtree City. 678-884-5051, jenis.com

Ophelia Tavern, a new restaurant in Avondale Estates, opened last weekend, according to a social media announcement. The restaurant serves pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads alongside a full bar.

70 N. Avondale Road, Avondale Estates. opheliatavern.com

Nox, a mysterious forthcoming cocktail bar, is planned downtown Alpharetta, according to the restaurant’s Instagram page. The new bar will be in the 20 North Main building that was once home to Mercantile Social.