Hospitality Design - August 2012 - 104

Ford Fry
Chef/Owner JCT. Kitchen, No. 246, the Optimist, and Oyster Bar at the Optimist Atlanta
The looks of your restaurants are all distinct. How do you think the design complements your cooking? Atlanta was full of glitzy Vegas wannabes. When I [ﬁrst] sat down with [local designer] Smith Hanes, my passion was the restaurant needed to be classic and not the restaurant of the month. That relates perfectly to my cooking: I value product quality and freshness over ﬂashy scientiﬁc techniques and presentations. What feeling were you trying to convey with your newest ones, the Optimist and Oyster Bar at the Optimist? The Optimist building was an old country ham facility with an amazing airy, rustic, wood slat barrel ceiling with steel trusses. It truly felt as if it were on a wharf on the coast. It also had a smaller building attached— but not joined—which opened up onto a central patio I knew would be perfect for a casual oyster bar. Smith took it far beyond what I ever expected with the wallcoverings and tons of locally made mercury glass hanging light ﬁxtures. My favorite [element] is the giant painted octopus wrapping around our wood-burning oven in the oyster bar. All night we ‘feed’ it. For the next restaurant in your budding empire you are working with New York designers Meyer Davis Studio. Why the change? Since we have three Smith-designed spaces I wanted to do the next project with another set of eyes. Yet it was important that they share the same philosophies that Smith and I have. Smith actually ate at Locanda Verde in New York [a Meyer Davis Studio project] and texted me, ‘Ford, the attention to detail here is amazing.’ So I feel this project will be slightly different yet equally intriguing. What makes Atlanta an exciting food destination right now? Atlanta has totally embraced Southern culture. It has moved from ‘I can’t afford to buy locally’ to ‘I can’t afford not to buy locally.’ No matter what my restaurant inspirations are, the common factor is sourcing locally and seasonally and being proud of Southern products.

Clockwise from top left: Comfy couches and crystal chandeliers abound in the main dining room of Soho House New York; Nick Jones; the pool at Babington House, located three hours outside of London; and a commodious guestroom at Soho House Berlin.

Clockwise from top left: Ford Fry; country ham roots get the spotlight at Oyster Bar at the Optimist (photo by Andrew Thomas Lee); and custom wallcoverings and handmade mercury glass lamp fixtures give the Optimist, designed by Atlanta-based Smith Hanes, an inviting allure (photo by Andrew Thomas Lee).
Besides your restaurants, where will we ﬁnd you eating in Atlanta? I’m a BBQ nut so I eat it at least once a week. If I’m not smoking it myself, I’m probably at Community Q. Or, if my Tex-Mex craving comes out, I’m probably hitting Nuevo Laredo for cheese enchiladas and margaritas.

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