DINING
All You Can Eat Tastes September 23rd to 25th foodthatrocks.org
The evolution of Sandy Springs’ dining scene elected in 2013, he helped spur a new wave of restaurants. “When Rusty came in, it was clear from the get go, that he saw the evolution of the restaurant community as a key element for the city,” Alterman said. Paul said he worked with the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber to launch the Restaurant Council, tasked with promoting and marketing the city’s restaurants. The city’s first Restaurant Week launched soon after, offering special menu items and drinks as a way to pique interest in the city’s eateries. “We promoted it on social media, and it caught fire,” Paul said. More residents began to eat out in Sandy Springs, and new restauThe ribbon cutting for The rants soon followed, he said. Brickery in February 1992. “And so the word spread. ‘Hey, Sandy Springs has a neat little burgeoning restaurant community. Let’s go there and check it out,’” Paul said. Sandy Springs resident Chef Todd Ginsberg of The General Muir. Dale DeSena, founder of Taste of Atlanta, in 2016 decided to bring her expertise in tasting BY AMY WENK events to the city. Food That Rocks launched that year Chef Todd Ginsberg and his partners had as a way to celebrate Sandy offers to expand their intown deli to the subSprings restaurants. urbs. City Springs has been a catalyst for Sandy Springs’ dining “I wanted to really showThey looked at Avalon in Alpharetta evolution, featuring restaurants such as The Select. case the restaurant scene and and a food hall project in Marietta. Instead, also help grow the restauthey selected Sandy Springs for a new loHistoric Roswell. rant scene,” DeSena said. “We cation of The General Muir. The New YorkBut things have knew we could do a big tastinspired Jewish deli opened this January at changed. Just as Saning event that was a VIP expeCity Springs. dy Springs has evolved rience like no other.” “We got to really thinking about … Sandy City Bar is now open at the Sandy since incorporating in Food That Rocks was first Springs, how it changed and evolved,” GinsSprings Performing Arts Center. 2005, so has its dining held at Hammond Park, then berg said. “We thought that there would be scene. “Given the demomoved to City Springs once the town center an opportunity for a good deli up there, esToday, there are graphics of the comproject opened in 2018. pecially considering there are five synaabout 270 restaurants in munity, we had a Since then, City Springs has become a gogues within a couple of miles.” the city, from fine dining tough time getting gathering place for Sandy Springs residents, For years, lacking a walkable city center, to fast-casual, featuring chef-driven restaulined with popular restaurants including Sandy Springs had struggled to attract chefs authentic cuisine from rants to come to SanThe General Muir, The Select, Flower Child and establish a thriving culinary scene. Persian, Mexican, Japady Springs,” Mayor and NAM Kitchen. And city officials just Even its own residents would pass over the nese, Greek to Italian. Rusty Paul said. launched City Bar at the Sandy Springs Percity, driving instead to the fine dining in It took some effort One restaurant Bruce and Sally Alterman when forming Arts Center, said Mayor Paul. Buckhead or perhaps the eclectic bistros of though. helped set the stage. The Brickery closed in 2015. “City Springs was definitely a catalyst,” The Brickery Grill he said. “We knew that we needed a place and Bar opened in 1992 in a now defunct for the community to come together.” shopping center off Roswell Road. It would Other Sandy Springs restaurants help Food That Rocks, a tasting event that become the “epicenter of the restaurant define the city today. Just to name a few, celebrates the vibrant and expanding scene in Sandy Springs,” Paul said. there is Rumi’s Kitchen, Breadwinner Cafe dining scene in Sandy Springs, will re“We opened because we felt like there re& Bakery, Il Giallo Osteria & Bar, Cibo e Beve, turn Sept. 23-25. Held at City Springs, ally wasn’t a neighborhood-driven, and I’m Southern Bistro, Bishoku and Hammocks the event features favorite bites and bevgoing to use the word authentic, option for Trading Company. More are coming, includerages from more than 40 restaurants, people to eat in Sandy Springs,” said Bruce ing Italian restaurant Tre Vele. along with live music. This year, there Alterman, who ran The Brickery with his The pandemic has been an obvious setwill be four sessions held over the three wife, Sally. “Our goal was not to be trendy back for many restaurants. But what is not days. Limited tickets are $80 per person or frou frou … We found a formula where lost is the industry’s importance on the for an all-inclusive VIP Experience. we were just so fortunate that we ended up community and its quality of life, Paul said. with long-term, loyal, repeat business.” “Dining is the number one form of enter“Food that Rocks was created to bring together community and entertainment The Brickery, known for its fried chicktainment today,” DeSena said. “If a city has a for a cause,” said Dale DeSena, the event creator and founder of Taste of Atlanta. en and baby back ribs, operated for 24 years, popular and great restaurant scene, people She said the event was reimagined this year due to the pandemic. “Rather than a closing in 2015 when the shopping center will move here. Businesses will open here. I single event serving large numbers, we are hosting multiple sessions. These smallwhere it was located was bought and redethink that dining drives economic developer, intimate tasting events will allow us to bring Food That Rocks back in a manner veloped. That property now houses restaument in any area.” that is safe and expands options for both our guests and restaurants.” rants including Casi Cielo and C&S Seafood and Oyster Bar. Visit www.foodthatrocks.com for more details. Alterman said when Mayor Paul was
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SEPTEMBER 2021 | 15
