Food & Drink
Willie Degel talks About Restaurants, his Vision and the new Uncle Jack’s Meat House
Published
5 years agoon
Opening in Spring 2020
Willie Degel is the founder and owner of Uncle Jack’s Steak House. Beginning as a neighborhood steakhouse selling black, angus steaks in Queens, he has expanded his restaurant around New York and now has plans to take over the entire east coast. In this episode of Peachtree Corners Life, Rico sits down with Willie to chat about his entry into the restaurant business, how he builds his restaurants into a visual experience, and his plans for the new, Uncle Jack’s Meat House coming to Peachtree Corners.
Resources
Uncle Jack’s Meathouse http://www.unclejacksmeathouse.com/
“My father instilled hard work. My mother instilled confidence in us, good work ethic. Being the baby of four boys, my brothers beat me up every day, so I have a sense of fearlessness. I’m tough. I’m gonna keep coming. I’m never gonna give up. I’m never gonna quit. I always had vision. I’m a visual learner. I’m a hands-on person. I have to be in control of that. I have to be involved in it. It’s my personality, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Willie Degel
Transcript of the podcast:
Rico [00:00 ]: Hi this is Rico Figliolini, host of Peachtree Corners Life and publisher of Peachtree Corners Magazine. I thank you for joining us. This is a live Facebook stream with a special guest today, of a new restaurant that’s going to be coming to the town center here in Peachtree Corners. Not there yet, long journey. We’ll discuss in a few minutes. Just want to say thank you to Guinnett Medical for GMC Primary Care, for being a sponsor of our podcast and family of podcasts that we do, including Capitalist Sage and Prime Lunchtime with City Manager. So I want to thank them and our other sponsors including Atlanta Tech Park and Prototype Prime, which is part of now, Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners. So, without further ado, let me introduce my guest. We have Willie – I should have asked you about the Degel at the beginning. And we lost your visual.
Willie [00:55 ]: Gotcha. Yeah. People try to fool me.
Rico [00:57 ]: There you go. So is it Willie Degel?
Willie [01:01 ]: Degel. D-e-g-e-l. Very simple.
Rico [01:04 ]: Excellent. Willie Degel. So, Willie is our guest today. He’s the founder and owner of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse, which is a New York based place. I think right now, you have locations in New York and Georgia – in Duluth, Georgia, actually, is the one I’m familiar with. And you were a former host of the Food Network’s Restaurant Steakhouse.
Willie [01:26 ]: Yes. Restaurant Stake-out, yeah.
Rico [01:30 ]: Stakeout, that’s cool. And you’re a native from Queens. I’m a native from Brooklyn, New York. I found my way south to Atlanta. So we got a little bit in common from New York as far as that stuff goes. And the food of New York, if you will, which was a little difficult to find in 1995 when I moved here because there wasn’t good pizza, there wasn’t a good deli, an Italian restaurants were few and far between. Now it’s kind of much better. We’re seeing a lot more stuff coming down here from all over the place, not just from – I mean, Korean places, Japanese, a place from Chicago, New York and stuff. So, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? Give us a little background.
Willie [02:13 ]: Yeah. I’m a baby of four boys from Flushing, Queens. You know, Catholic. We had to put ourselves through Catholic school. We had newspaper routes. We shoveled snow. My mother was, you know, worked hard. My father worked. He did two jobs – he worked in the post office and was a long shoreman. My mother worked for a legal secretary. So my father instilled hard work. My mother instilled confidence in us, good work ethic. Being the baby of four boys, my brothers beat me up every day, so I have a sense of fearlessness. I’m tough. I’m gonna keep coming. I’m never gonna give up. I’m never gonna quit. I always had vision. I’m a visual learner. I’m a hands-on person. I have to be in control of that. I have to be involved in it. It’s my personality, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Rico [03:02 ]: Cool. So what – you know, obviously it seems like it runs in the business a little bit. In the family. What got you started in food?
Willie [03:13 ]: You know, I was on a blind date. I always cooked with my father. My father got cancer when I was 10. And he had to retire from one job – he almost died. We made soup for him, we brought him back from death, and then he would be at home two days a week, and he would cook. And I would go shopping with him cause I was the littlest. I would come home from Catholic school, on my bike from lunchtime, to see him. He would take me over to the butcher, go get veal cutlet and some pork, go to this place in Queens, Richmond Hill. So he taught me about dealing with people. About giving people tips. About saying hello and working with the average, everyday Joe that nobody’s better than anyone. And my father worked down the piers and he handled a lot of stuff for Queen Elizabeth, and he took care of the boats and the chefs. And the chefs used to give him gifts. So he used to explain this to me. So my father would set up his meats in a glass, and he taught me how to cook and prep, and he was very clean and organized, my father, and so am I. And that came from my grandmother. So that gave me a little taste and flavor. Then, I was always an entrepreneur. I went on a blind date. We saw a movie, you know, cocktails, and the girls were like, oh my god, you should bartend. I wound up getting a bartender’s job, and the rest is the history. And then I cooked and bartended. I did every position, you know? I run a company now, but I built every position, worked every position, then I try and fill the position and grow the company and build my people.
Rico [04:53 ]: Do you miss any part of that? Do you miss the cooking or the bartending? Do you miss the feel of that?
Willie [05:00 ]: Yeah. Like, I’m home today. I took off today Thursday. I work from my phone. I’m making a seven-level layer lasagna with my bechamel. So I’m always cooking. I love it. It’s a stress reliever to me. I have to be creative. I’m working on building new restaurants all the time, working on building people. The corporate infrastructure. The vision – the next five years. So yes – I miss being the interaction of running just one restaurant and me controlling everything and not depending on so many other people to run my vision. And that’s where the growing pains come. And that’s a, you know, trial and tribulation process.
Rico [05:43 ]: Now, you’ve – you started modestly, right? You opened up a place – Bayside Queens, I guess?
Willie [05:50 ]: Yes. My first bar/restaurant was in Main Street in my neighborhood, alright? And then I opened up the first Uncle Jack’s in Bayside on Bell Boulevard in 1996. So it was a bar – it was the first, sort of, fine, black angus steakhouse. I don’t think anyone knew what black angus even was.
Rico [06:13] : That’s funny – I don’t think it was too far from the – I worked on Bell Boulevard at a nightclub there in Bayside for a while. And, a lot of different – it’s a – it was an interesting neighborhood. So did you find success there? How long – is it still there?
Willie [06:28 ]: Yes. It’s still there. We’re open 24 years. I own the building, the corporate headquarters is upstairs, I’m in that store every day. We have the best customers. People come from all over. You know, that have been served there. And that’s where we built the legacy. That’s store – a small box, fifty seats, catering to everyone, giving them what they need, selling the best, executing day in, day out.
Rico [06:53 ]: So, you had that place for a while. And then, obviously, decided you wanted to grow and open another one. So how did you –
Willie [07:01 ]: We served a lot of developers and politicians, and then the mayors came there – Julianni, Bloomberg. So in 19-what is it, about 15 years ago on ninth avenue and 34th street, they were gonna transform that area with the Jet stadium. And a developer came to me and said, “We want to put an Uncle Jack’s in this building”. It was an apartment building on 9th avenue and 34th street. So I went and looked at it. They funded most of the project – half of it. I raised the other half of the money, built it out. The Jet project never went through, but I worked on the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, then I had Penn Station, then I had the Hammerstein ballroom, I had about ten hotels in the area. So again, I built it one customer at a time. You know, now it has the Hudson Yards, America’s largest, most expensive development ever, built two blocks away. I renegotiated, put another 15 years on the lease a year ago. What a vision of what was transformative in the neighborhood. So that was my second one.
Rico [08:06 ]: A lot of work, and a lot of experience getting that done, I’d imagine.
Willie [08:11 ]: Yeah. I mean, it’s not easy, you know. Starting from the bottom and being a self-taught entrepreneur and coming from a lower middle-class family. It’s never easy. Nobody wants to give you anything. You gotta go out there and you gotta earn it and you gotta win people over. You gotta attack other brands and understand that – why are people going to choose your brand over theirs?
Rico [08:38 ]: Right. Right. That makes a lot of sense. I mean – I deal with a lot of customers. I do use social media marketing and stuff. And it’s really – everyone thinks they have a unique business, but you really need to really point out what the uniqueness is, if it’s there. So, yeah.
Willie [08:56 ]: Here’s what I say. I live by this motto. What, where, and why. What are you selling? Where is it? And why should they come?
Rico [09:07 ]: Yeah, why should they buy it, right?
Willie [09:09 ]: You know, human nature – we have our senses. We’re visual, we smell, we touch. You know, when I – it’s not rocket science here, you know? Technology makes our life easier – it becomes a convenience. It becomes an organizer. It becomes a director. It becomes – it remembers and tracks and does everything for us and creates laziness. But you, as a business man and a businesswoman in today’s environment – you still have to keep your simple models, and you must execute your vision and game plan, day-in, day-out to whoever your customer base is.
Rico [09:51 ]: I – you know, and that applies to probably every business that you can think of, right?
Willie [09:57 ]: I think so. Right? I mean, it applies to Amazon, it applies to Google, it applies to Walmart, it applies to Home Depot, Target. You see their numbers. They’re all coming through, incredible, having great sales, because everybody’s working, and the economy’s booming.
Rico [10:13 ]: Yeah. And if you don’t – if you stay stagnant and you don’t change, you get lost, right? So – I mean –
Willie [10:19 ]: Time, today. I always say, right? Freedom is priceless. Time stands still for no one. People will step right over you.
Rico [10:30 ]: That’s right. That’s right. That’s what’s happening to a lot of these places right now, right? So Walmart is trying to become an Amazon. Amazon is flying away with stuff, right? I mean, no one goes to stores anymore, it seems. I mean, even friends that I know to go a store to maybe touch things, to see it, and then they’ll go back and buy it online or they might actually buy it on Amazon while they’re in the store. The –
Willie [10:54 ]: I – what I feel is – listen. 92% of retail is done in small shops or big stores. So, how much more of that can be done online? Now, me – I’m very progressive. So I’ve been shopping on the internet from the day it started. I was creating my own. But I’m very – I’m a visionary. So I believed it when everyone was scared of it. So you still will have retail. It’s just changing.
Rico [11:25 ]: That’s right.
Willie [11:26 ]: And it’s evolving. And people today want an experience. So in some sense, I always hated the big malls. I like a small town. I like a community. I like individual owners working a niche. And a lot of that’s come back with these many energy town centers. And I believe that’s the transformation of America again. It’s full of evolution, just new.
Rico [11:54 ]: Now, you talked about, you know, customers coming. But you also talk about experience. Experiential, right? I think one of the locations you opened in Queens had a roaring, 20’s style, basement bar/lounge.
Willie [12:08 ]: Right. It’s a hidden speakeasy called Bootlegged Jack’s. You have to go through the laboratory bathrooms, and it’s a big, steel vault door. You have to press this button and a red light goes off inside. You have to have the password to get in. And then the little metal hatch opens up. You tell the doorman the password, and then you get in, and it transforms you into an early 1900’s speakeasy lounge, Bordelo-sense-feel whiskey parlor.
Rico [12:36 ]: Unbeli-that’s an experience. Now how would you get the password? Is that something –
Willie [12:40 ]: The password is based on who you are, who you know, how many times you come to the restaurant, what are you eating upstairs, are you having a celebration? So it’s all done based on networking.
Rico [12:53 ]: So the restaurant – there’s a restaurant upstairs. Is it the normal Uncle Jack’s steakhouse upstairs?
Willie [12:59 ]: Yes. It’s the Uncle Jack’s Meathouse. The same location. So the Uncle Jack’s Meathouse is not a classic style steakhouse like Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse. It’s more of a new concept, where you come to get your meat game on. I’m the steak doctor. So I’m basically a meat expert. I grew up in a German-Irish household eating meat and potatoes my entire life. So I went shopping with my dad, I understand every aspect of meat. I live for it. I love it. I’m a carnivore. I’m a caveman, right? I love the nutrition. I like working out. It makes me feel strong. In this meathouse concept, it looks like an old, meat factory warehouse, but yet it has a level of luxury in the seating, in the materials used. And then we have a great menu mix where you could go there and you could spend anywhere from 20 dollars a person to 100 dollars a person and have four to five different style dining experiences. And it all is entertainment based. It’s very visualizing. The decor, the atmosphere, the artwork, the graffiti, everything handmade, customized, the way the food is displayed. I designed all these metal plates, we got hanging bacon, we got a cookie staircase. We have, you know, meatballs on golf cues. It’s very cool.
Rico [14:22 ]: Now, we were talking a little bit before we started this show that what you – you know what you tried to do a year ago. You had taken over a piece of area that, you know – is this going to be a standalone building?
Willie [14:36 ]: Hold on [dog barking] My wife took my dog out.
Rico [14:44 ]: This is what happens when you do live stream.
Willie [14:46 ]: Right. It’s okay. So Peachtree Corners – it’s three quarters, semi-attached building. And next to me is an Xfinity store. So we worked a deal with the landlord so we had this Xfinity store right next door, and now we have 4000 square foot inside, and then we have about 2000 square foot outdoor dining patio space. Some of it covered, some of it not.
Rico [15:12 ]: Nice. So you’re gonna – so what were you describing before, it’s gonna be the same look and feel. So if someone went to the Duluth location, it would be similar to that?
Willie [15:21 ]: It’s gonna be a lot like the Duluth location, but each store is unique for the area. Each menu gets tweaked for the area. So being that we’re at Peachtree Corners, we’re gonna have this special Peach Compote burger designed just for that area. So little things – we do our research of the area. All the history, who owned the land, who farmed there, what was grown there. So that’s all involved in the philosophy and story and the makeup and the ingredients we use when we’ll unveil a new location.
Rico [15:52 ]: So you’re – I mean, the meathouse is actually also like a farm to table? Are you local?
Willie [16:00 ]: Right. We use as much locally sourced, fresh ingredients, working direct with farmers, vendors, who makes honey, who makes cheeses, who’s raising their own pork, meat, sausages. Whatever way we can, we try to integrate that as much as possible.
Rico [16:17 ]: Okay. So, we’re – how far are we along now? Because it looks like you want to maybe open five additional locations, or five in total in the Atlanta area. You’ve got Duluth. Where are you now as far as getting the building, ground breaking?
Willie [16:30 ]: You know, when you design things at the level that I’m doing, it takes time. You know, working with towns today, it’s not easy. There’s a lot of regulation, there’s a lot of red tape. You gotta fight through. You have to hire a lot of people. You know, this was a fully brand new building. A brand new restaurant. It’s not like a face lift. You’re not taking an existing one. No permits were filed. So there’s a lot of different steps you gotta go through. But once you’ve passed that process and you get your store open, you know, those battles mean nothing. It’s all about execution, feeding everyone in the Peachtree community, building loyal customers, friends, winning them over, making them a part of the family, and getting them to love our house.
Rico [17:14 ]: So do you have – do you have a timeline of when you think things will happen?
Willie [17:19 ]: Well we – the final meeting is on the 27th. We just had unanimous approval on the elevation’s design. So we figure we’re breaking ground in two weeks, and we start building the building. You’ll see all the fencing wrapped. We have great visuals of what’s go come. And it’s the selfie of me on the fence, and if you send in pictures right now, you’ll be able to get invited to the grand opening and have dinner with me.
Rico [17:45 ]: So wait, there’s selfies on there now?
Willie [17:47 ]: No. The fencing that wraps the job site is getting wrapped with this meathouse fencing. Then it’s a full size selfie of me, the steak doctor, and we want people to take pictures and selfies next to it and send it in. And we’re gonna pick about 25 of the best photos and different people to come to the grand opening week celebration.
Rico [18:11 ]: Wow. Nice. Do you have an estimated time of when that might be – that grand opening?
Willie [18:15 ]: Well, we gotta figure, probably early spring of next year.
Rico [18:19 ]: Early spring. Okay. And are you working on any other restaurants or locations?
Willie [18:24 ]: Yes. Right now, I’m talking to other people in Georgia. I’m looking for the belt line, I’m looking for other developers to work with me, I’m talking to the Revel right next door, next to my Duluth store to maybe do a Jack’s tavern or one of my burger concepts there. Or maybe a speakeasy, right? So I have the Bootlegged Jack’s concept. I talked to Miami, I’m talking to Orlando. I’m looking in Virginia and Washington and North Carolina. So I’m gonna try to take over the east coast with this concept.
Rico [18:54 ]: Sounds good. And they’re all company owned. None of them are franchises?
Willie [18:59 ]: No. They’re all individually owned by me. And I have company shares for everyone who works involved in the company, runs my stores. They’re all gonna get shares and be working partners and owners. Then we’re gonna grow the brand.
Rico [19:13 ]: Okay. So you have local partners from Atlanta?
Willie [19:16 ]: Yes. So my team in Atlanta now – Brian, April, and the chef, Chris there – they’re all getting shares of the company. The opening team in Duluth will get shares in the company.
Rico [19:27 ]: So the chef that you have there now – or that you know will be there – what’s his experience? Is he working off – he’s obviously working off an existing menu that, plus the tweaks to that menu, I’m assuming, with you.
Willie [19:40 ]: Yes. Me and my chef work hand in hand. I’m a self-taught chef, so I understand the business. I understand what people like and what people need. So my chef is a creative tool, and he has the love and has the passion. Be able to work with others. And be young and be shaped and moldable. So Chris is excellent. He’s passionate, he loves food. He listens well. He works well with me. And you always say – the rich guy Tillman said, “Shut up and listen.” You know, when you have young people looking at you, eyes wide open, and realize, like, you have thirty five years of experience doing this. Are you willing to listen and learn? And work with me? And build a team? And teamwork, you know, leads to dream work. And that’s what we’re going here. We’re building a dream, and we’re changing people’s lives, we’re taking care of the community. It’s very important today to have place that people could go have a drink, have quality food, fresh, educated, good staff. It’s important.
Rico [20:46 ]: Oh, for sure. And a lot of people are talking about, like, scratch kitchens, right? I’m assuming yours is a scratch –
Willie [20:54 ]: Well that’s what we do. We make everything from scratch every day. We run a lunch show, we run a dinner show. If you see the new Peachtree location, we have this big round tower. I did a private, big round custom-made table in there to sit 14 people. It’s like the corporate event space where all these TVs on the wall for private parties. It’s going to be mind-blowing.
Rico [21:16 ]: So it’s gonna be it’s own private room, I guess?
Willie [21:19 ]: Right. When you walk in the door, there’s gonna be all these refrigerators of all the different meats, dry aged and tagged. How we’re aging them for 35 to 120 days. Also – that visualization you can see from walking around outside the building because they’ll be in the window. All the windows and doors open up. I put string lights, so it’s like a little string appeal in between the buildings. So it’s gonna be really cool.
Rico [21:47 ]: I can’t wait to see it – I can’t wait to see the renderings. I know you said you would share some with us, and we’ll be able to put that on our website along with an article about this. So I appreciate that, Willie.
Willie [21:57 ]: No problem.
Rico [21:58 ]: So what’s next for Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse?
Willie [22:02 ]: We got Peachtree working, I’m working on a lease in Miami, I’m working on a lease in Orlando. So, you know, to me, I’m gonna build one store at a time. The leases – the paperwork, the agreements, the design work – that all takes months. So I’m – me, I’m trying to do that now and the rest is my team executing the game plan.
Rico [22:22 ]: Excellent. Right. So we’ve been – this is great. We’ve been talking to Willie Degel. And – about Uncle Jack’s Meathouse – Steakhouse in New York, but Meathouse in the south. That’s what you’re expanding out on. With tweaked menus, especially to the local area. What was that particular one that you mentioned about Peachtree Corners?
Willie [22:45 ]: We’re gonna do a peach cobbler burger. It’s gonna have a peach jam, it’s gonna have cheeses that go with it. I don’t want to let you know the whole recipe yet, it’s gonna be different. We use it in some different things. We’ve got a peanut butter burger. So we’ve got a lot of new tweaks for the menu just from the Peachtree area.
Rico [23:02 ]: That sounds great. I can’t wait to try that. It’s such a – I miss New York in some ways. I don’t miss New York in a lot of ways, but what I miss in New York is the food from New York and the experimentation and stuff that goes on, and the experience, like you said. I mean, heck, Coney Island’s always an experience I think when you go there and check out the food.
Willie [23:22 ]: Coney Island’s changing. A lot of people developing there. Listen – I grew up in Queens. I live in Long Island now. Long Island don’t have the food like Queens. Queens – you have 177 languages. The largest ethnic groups in anywhere in the world. Its amazing cultural experience – we take all of that and it becomes Americanized. It gets infused. It’s the melting pot of the world. But, look, I love Georgia. Georgia is clean, neat, organized. The people are nice. Everybody’s kind. In New York, there’s grime, there’s wearing down on everyone. I’m gonna turn 52. I got an escape plan. I know where I’m going. I’m outta here in a couple years as well.
Rico [24:05 ]: That’s funny. The escape from New York. That’s funny. That’s what I did in ’95. Yeah. Good luck there. We’ve been with Willie – I appreciate you being with us, Willie. Thank you, and hang in there with me for after I close this out, but I wanna thank the Facebook livestream people. My facebook fans for showing up for Peachtree Corners Live for this show with Willie and talking about the new restaurant that’s gonna be opening up early spring hopefully – mid-spring. That’s Uncle Jack’s Meathouse. Lots of stuff sounds so unique. Can’t wait to have it. But thank you guys – I appreciate you being with us. Thank you, Willie.
Willie [24:50 ]: No problem, Rico.
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Irie Mon Cafe Brings Taste of Jamaica to Peachtree Corners
Published
1 month agoon
September 19, 2024The September 26 grand opening event was rescheduled for October 10 due to bad weather.
Irie Mon Cafe, the newest destination for authentic Jamaican cuisine in Gwinnett County, is excited to announce its grand opening celebration. Located in Peachtree Corners, the cafe will bring the vibrant flavors of Jamaica to the community, offering a culinary journey that celebrates the island’s rich food culture.
Grand opening highlights
• Live Music: Enjoy the rhythmic sounds of Jamaica with live performances, setting the perfect tone for the evening.
• Menu Tasting: Savor a variety of Irie Mon Cafe’s signature dishes, from spicy jerk chicken to savory oxtail, for a true taste of the island.
• Drink Specials: Indulge in handcrafted cocktails and drink specials, infused with tropical flavors that complement the rich menu offerings.
• Entertainment: The event will also be filled with interactive entertainment, bringing together the best of Jamaican culture and hospitality.
“At Irie Mon Cafe, we are dedicated to bringing the authentic flavors and spirit of Jamaica to Peachtree Corners,” said Chris Williams, the restaurant’s founder. “We invite everyone to join us for a night of great food, music and entertainment as we celebrate the grand opening of our cafe.”
About Irie Mon Cafe
Irie Mon Cafe specializes in authentic Jamaican cuisine, offering a menu rich in traditional dishes made with fresh ingredients and bold flavors. From jerk chicken to oxtail, the cafe provides a genuine Jamaican culinary experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Whether you’re looking for a casual meal or need catering for a special event, Irie Mon Cafe brings the best of Jamaica to every plate.
For more information about Irie Mon Cafe and to stay updated on the grand opening, visit iriemoncafe.com.
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The Forum Gives Sneak Peek of New Eateries and Community Spaces
Published
3 months agoon
July 24, 2024If you’ve been to or near the Forum in the past few months, you’ve probably noticed cranes and construction crews. The anticipation of the first phase of renovation of the 22-year-old retail center has left a lot of Peachtree Corners residents as well as nearby patrons excited to see changes.
The Forum administration invited the media for a hard hat tour on July 17. The event showcased the redevelopment progress ahead of The Plaza’s grand opening on Aug. 8.
Scrumptious bites incoming
Executives from the development and leasing teams joined on-site management and led attendees around the new central gathering space, guest amenities and Politan Row, the newly created 10,000-square-foot food hall.
Dining concepts from veterans at Sheesh, Twenty-Six Thai and newbie Gekko Kitchen were the first food vendors announced for the space, which is expected to open in January.
“We can’t wait to introduce the Peachtree Corners community to our food hall experience,” said Politan Group CEO Will Donaldson in a news release. “Every detail from the design to the bar program to the cuisine is thoughtfully curated to inspire guests to not only mingle with one another but to connect with our incredible restaurateurs and discover new favorites.”
During the tour, Donaldson explained that eventually there will be seven different global cuisines in the Politan Row food court at the Forum featuring well-known and up-and-coming local talent. Once complete there will be a central bar, a private event venue and a covered outdoor patio.
“One of the things that we’re excited about is this unique design that we’ve come up with, that’s very specific to this area,” he said. “We’ll be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Whether you’re with a group for lunch or with your family, it works great for multiple settings.”
Twenty-six Thai owner Niki Pattharakositkul said the restaurant will work with local vendors to source the freshest meats and produce possible.
“There are certain types of produce and protein we try to source locally, but sauces and the more exotic produce and herbs, we have to import from Thailand,” she said. “Our brand is trying to move towards doing things locally and sustainably.”
Working with organizations such as Georgia Grown limits the use of large food distribution companies. Since starting Twenty-six Thai in 2016, Pattharakositkul has launched seven locations across metro Atlanta, including at Politan Row’s Ashford Lane and Colony Square.
The eatery describes itself as an “authentic wok-fired Southeast Asia-inspired menu featuring items such as pad Thai, pad see ewe and classic drunken noodles.”
Sheesh, a Mediterranean concept that uses simple, wholesome ingredients prepared with unique spices and blends, is run by corporate executive chef Charlie Sunyapong and director of operations Raquel Stalcup. The two are also members of the group behind full-service restaurants Stäge at Town Center and Pêche at the Forum.
The popularity of those suburban concepts has already taken off. With Sheesh, they’re looking to do something different.
“There are going to be some things that are unique to Sheesh that you’re not going to get at the other places,” said Sunyapong. “You’re not getting a whole restaurant; this is quicker fare.”
Gekko Kitchen, a former food truck transformed into a hibachi and ramen experience, will be serving fresh, fast bowls that are more colorful and lighter than traditional hibachi fare.
Gathering spots
Development Manager Nick Lombardo explained that NAP is moving away from building big construction projects from scratch like Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta and Avalon in Alpharetta.
“As a company, North American Properties pivoted around 2020 from building big ground-up construction to more redevelopment with already existing properties,” he said. “With the thought of great assets that just need a little more attention Infused into them to create value, we bought the Forum in 2022.”
He said that value-add propositions done at The Forum will create a more walkable center.
“Trying to compete with the internet on convenience is a very tough task, so the way we differentiate is by experiences,” he said. “We host between 150 to 200 events every year. We have things like concerts, wellness and fitness events and we have child playtime events. Our marketing team does a great job and they’re the differentiator when it comes to what makes our property stand out.”
By the first week of August, a large gathering space will be unveiled in the central area of the property between Pottery Barn and seafood restaurant Pêche. It will have a nine-foot LED screen capable of hosting movie nights and sports viewing. There will also be musical performances featuring local artists.
“We’re not in competition with Town Center,” said Charlotte Hinton, marketing manager at The Forum. “Town Center has gates like a real music festival and we’re more like a ‘chill and enjoy the music’ vibe where you can grab a beer and hang out or maybe kind of walk around.”
The smaller space and artificial turf are unlike the Town Center space where attendees spread blankets and bring chairs. The Forum will have furniture and seating in the space so folks can just gather and either enjoy time with family or partake in events.
The Forum will also offer valet parking on a limited schedule at that end of the property.
More improvements
Although the construction equipment will have moved out, the jewel box building will house a yet-to-be-named restaurant that will open early next year.
“We’re pretty much done with what we’re doing as far as landlord work,” said Lombardo. “We ask our tenants to bring their brand and their design and their material pallet and put that on the building to express their brand identity. They know their brand better than we do. They know how to best design their building and how it functions and works.”
It’s the same process with retail stores, he added.
“We always ask all of our new tenants to come in here when they’re building their storefront,” he said. “They’re not just selling their clothes; they’re selling a lifestyle in the brand so we ask them to push their brand out to the street.”
Even with the new spaces, there will be no shortage of parking, Lombardo added. “There’s plenty of parking behind these buildings,” he said pointing toward Pêche. “What we’ve done is enhance the connectivity to those areas. We’ve redone this breezeway and we’re adding lighting and connecting the parking lot to the main boulevard here. The goal is to replace cars with people and activity and bring a sense of community to the property.”
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Business
Taste of Peachtree Corners: PCBA Showcases Local Restaurants
Published
4 months agoon
July 17, 2024The Taste of Peachtree Corners has been in the works for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic put many key events on hold for the Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA).
But luckily this year, the dedicated staff of volunteers successfully executed a memorable event and introduced a lot of local business owners to their neighboring restaurants and caterers.
As I walked up to the Community Chest Room at Peachtree Corners City Hall on June 27, there was a line outside the door. I later found out that over 100 people had registered to attend the event. I got checked in quickly and was faced with a “passport” of 10 Peachtree Corners restaurants serving everything from high-end bakery items to good old-fashioned barbecue, and modern twists on seafood and American cuisines.
Let’s talk about the food
The idea was to visit all 10 restaurants and collect stars while trying samples and small plates. My first stop was Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, and they had my favorite – homemade chips and queso. The queso was smoky and mildly spicy with a great depth of flavor. What a great start. Next up was Chopt. Creative Salad Co. I had never heard of this restaurant before, but they blew me away with a perfect amuse-bouche of cherry tomato, pesto, mozzarella, and olive oil. These guys understand simple and fresh Mediterranean flavors.
The folks from Marlow’s Tavern were also on-site serving shrimp and grits with jalapeno, spinach and tomato beurre blanc. This is definitely the style of elevated food I’ve come to expect from Marlow’s. And as a nice touch, they prepared a refreshing blueberry cocktail.
Another familiar face was set up on the other side of the room. J.R.’s Log House Restaurant served southern favorites like pulled pork sliders, baked beans and mac n’ cheese. I couldn’t pass this one up. The pulled pork was tender, tangy and saucy. Exactly what I want from a barbecue. Lazy Dog’s table really impressed me with its presentation. The tuna cup with rice, avocado and chili with chips on the side, was a real stunner.
Moe’s Southwest Grill was also on-site handing out tasty tequila lime chicken with rice, avocado, and black beans. This super hearty and comforting entrée was followed by a seafood course from PECHE Modern Coastal. Crab cakes with a croissant pinwheel, roasted garlic and lemon aioli and arugula were on the menu and the flavor combinations were simply fantastic.
PECHE’s sister restaurant STAGE Kitchen & Bar was next door offering a tuna and salmon tostada with avocado, eel sauce, spicy mayo, and cilantro. This was easily one of my favorite bites of the night. The tostada was crunchy and light with clean and bright flavors. No kidding, I could probably eat this every day for lunch.
I moved on the Smoke’s Family Catering and owner Phillip Smoke had whipped up enough barbecue to feed an army. I had the pleasure of trying the smoked chicken with potato salad and it was the perfect pairing. Last but not least: dessert. I capped off the evening with a beautiful chocolate ganache-filled croissant with perfect lamination and flaky texture.
The inspiration behind the event
With a (very) full stomach, I caught up with PCBA President Lisa Proctor to talk about the event.
“We knew that COVID was really hard on a lot of our restaurants to get people back in,” said Proctor. “We wanted to do it in June because we wanted to celebrate our military. Everybody remembers them maybe on Memorial Day or different things, but June is the 80th anniversary of D-Day.”
“The military is always close to our heart,” she added. “We’re also very proud of our restaurants. They all have gone above and beyond.”
Tonight, the PCBA was honoring the Armed Forces and its brave veterans while bestowing two donation checks to very worthy causes.
The first check for $500 went to Folds of Honor. Since 2007, Folds of Honor has provided life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. And now, their mission expands to the families of America’s first responders.
The second check for $500 was given to Light Up the Corners, a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization with an annual glowing, flashing, blinking, shining, nighttime running party and fundraiser in one. All proceeds from the event go to benefit less fortunate children and families in the Peachtree Corners community who are struggling by giving them the chance to participate in life-enhancing programs and activities at the Fowler YMCA.
Over the past 12 years, the PCBA has awarded 19 scholarships and donated more than $156,000+ back to the Peachtree Corners community.
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