From Michelin star to farm life: Why this chef left Atlanta behind

After earning a Michelin star at Atlanta’s Staplehouse, chef Ryan Smith and hospitality manager Kara Hidinger made a bold move leaving the city behind for rural Georgia. In Gay, Georgia, a town with fewer than 120 residents, they opened Uberto, an intimate 20-seat restaurant rooted in sustainability. Just steps from their kitchen sits a working farm where they grow, raise and forage nearly everything they serve. What started as a major shift away from Atlanta’s fine dining scene became an opportunity to redefine it focusing on regenerative farming, zero-waste practices, and hyper-local ingredients.