Aria Chef/Owner Gerry Klaskala Announces Retirement

After 25 years as owner and operator of Buckhead restaurant Aria, renowned Chef Gerry Klaskala has announced his retirement. He and Aria co-owners Ron San Martin and George McKerrow will transition ownership of Aria to the restaurant’s longtime general manager Andrés Loaiza.

Since opening on East Paces Ferry Road in March of 2000, Aria has earned constant accolades, including making Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s “Best Wine Restaurants in America” and Zagat’s “Atlanta’s Best Restaurants” lists. Aria has been named as a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Service, and Esquire Magazine recognized it as one of the country’s best restaurants. Atlanta magazine has selected Aria as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the city, while the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has called it “one of the city’s finest time-tested restaurants.” Dining critic Meridith Ford Goldman awarded the restaurant a five-star rating. Aria has also made both USA Today and Thrillist’s “Best Romantic Restaurants in Atlanta” lists. Klaskala was one of six chefs who were awarded the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence, along with Wolfgang Puck and Frank Stitt. He also received the lifetime achievement award from Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence Awards.

When asked about his retirement, Klaskala said simply, “It’s time. It’s been a great, great ride. I’m satisfied.” The chef has called Atlanta home since restaurateur Pano Karatassos first lured him to the city from Savannah to serve as Buckhead Diner’s opening chef and managing partner, where he cooked for countless celebrity diners including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. Later with McKerrow and San Martin, Klaskala debuted Canoe on the banks of the Chattahoochee River before they opened Aria together.

When asked about his retiring partner, McKerrow said, “Gerry is a true gentleman, kindhearted and humble. He is bold and steadfast in his trade. I believe he is one of the best chefs ever in the southeast if not the country. He’s an amazing saucier and slow cooker. His pallet is exquisite, and he has tremendous fun with his food. Gerry is truly an artist, and he has dedicated his career to continuously improving his talent. He’s the Picasso of the food scene.”

“I’m so proud to have been his partner for 30 years, and we will continue our partnership even after his departure from the daily responsibility of operating ARIA. Gerry and I have a wonderful relationship because we have a mutual respect for each other, and I honor him as a true friend and a partner.”

Once an Artist, Always an Artist

In retirement, Klaskala said he is planning to concentrate on his first love—drawing and painting. As a teenager, he abandoned his art studies to enroll in The Culinary Institute of America. “My plans aren’t grandiose,” he explains, “and not with any purpose other than to just do it. For me, art is a way to get lost in my thoughts and ideas. Cooking for a living requires focus and concentration. Now I’ll have the time to explore my other interests. For so long, I felt like I couldn’t step away without compromising the restaurant—I even felt guilty just sitting down to read a book. Now, I finally have that freedom.”

With Loaiza in place as Aria’s new owner, the restaurant’s commitment to staff (some who have been there for the restaurant’s entire 25-year existence) will continue. “People always ask us, ‘How do you keep people around so long?’,” said Klaskala. “There’s no magic answer. Every day we just try to find a moment to appreciate their work and let them know they’re doing a great job. Sometimes in the middle of a busy night that can be just a little head nod between us. But that’s our code for ‘Hell yes, you nailed it.’ We’re like-minded souls working together each night.”

On his goals as Aria’s new owner/operator Loaiza says, “I love this place Gerry created, and I love what we do here. The regulars know and trust me. Aria will continue to live and breathe by the standards Gerry set. This transition allows us to evolve and begin the next chapter.”

As Aria celebrates its 25^th anniversary of serving Atlantans, Klaskala can sum up his culinary career with a single word—gratitude. In a career that has spanned over half a century, Klaskala says one thing has kept him in the kitchen. “I have head-over-heels loved what I’ve been doing,” he explains. “I’ve always said it was like going to the playground every day. I felt like a kid never wanting to leave, even when the lights came on and my dad was trying to persuade me to come home. Each guest who has made a reservation and each staffer who decided to work at Aria put their faith in us, and we took that responsibility very seriously and embraced it.”

Outside Aria’s kitchen, Klaskala remains proud of his decades of philanthropy work in Atlanta. He has been an integral part of benefits for Open Hand Atlanta and Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation and served as the chef chair for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Georgia Chapter’s Harvest for a Cure. “It’s a big part of who I am,” he explains. “Being involved in my community is something I chose to do early on, and it was very important to me. That’s why I’ve made sure younger chefs were getting involved in their communities as well. You can’t own and operate a successful business and not be involved in your community.”

Aria is currently conducting a national search for Klaskala’s successor in the kitchen. Loaiza says once a chef has been selected, he will focus on Aria’s next 25 years as one of Atlanta’s favorite places to create memories over delicious food and wine. “Aria has succeeded over the years by evolving. This transition allows us to get a fresh set of eyes on the experience we present and make that experience even better as we introduce Aria to the next generation of Atlantans.”

Lara Creasy is Beverage Director for Rocket Farm Restaurants, overseeing eleven Superica locations in five states. She loves all things beverage from tea to tequila, coffee to cocktails, whiskey to wine, and gets to make a living at it.