More than a decade after their first restaurant and bar success of East Andrews Café in 2002, Chris Hadermann, John “JP” Piemonte and Mike Evertsen are introducing their own restaurant group, Southern Proper Hospitality. The concepts range from chef-driven barbecue to farm-to-table gourmet to rustic-yet-healthy Italian, all tied together by a mission to help shape the cultural fabric of Atlanta by creating distinct dining experiences that appeal to customers’ sense of adventure.
After launching many successful consumer-driven restaurants including the award-winning, casual Gulf Coast-inspired The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Buckhead and Crabapple’s Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, and recent openings like Osteria Cibo Rustico in Toco Hills and Smokebelly in Buckhead, the group is formalizing their privately held company and adding two more restaurants to the group this year. At the helm of the company’s day to day operations is Guido Piccinni, chief operating officer, who previously worked at fine dining restaurant Pricci, the Five Diamond Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Cresta & Duc in Italy.
One of the new concepts, Gypsy Kitchen, planned for a September 2014 launch, will be a 6,000 square foot indoor and outdoor baroque-style space with live entertainment offering Spanish-style raciones and other cuisine heavily influenced by the regions of Southern Spain, Morocco, India and the Mediterranean. The Southern Gentleman, which is also slated for a September 2014 opening, will be the group’s take on a Southern-inspired gastropub with rustic, farm-to-table fare, Southern fusion influences, and a focus on shared plates. The 3,800 square foot indoor and outdoor space will feature old-school classic décor and modern riffs on Southern style, like seersucker window drapings. Both Gypsy Kitchen and the Southern Gentleman will be in the new Buckhead Atlanta development by Oliver McMillan.
