Anne Quatrano facts for kids

Anne Quatrano is a famous chef and restaurant owner from Atlanta, Georgia. She is known for creating delicious food using fresh, local ingredients. She owns several popular restaurants and has won many awards for her cooking.

Anne's Early Life and Culinary Journey

Anne Quatrano grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. But she spent her summers on her mother's family farm near Cartersville, Georgia. This farm, called Summerland, would later become very important to her cooking.

After finishing college at the University of Vermont, Anne worked in restaurant management. She then decided to go to cooking school. She studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

Learning to Cook in California

At cooking school, Anne learned about a style of cooking called California cuisine. This style focuses on using fresh, seasonal ingredients from local farms. She also worked with a famous chef named Judy Rodgers.

While in culinary school, Anne met Clifford Harrison. He was also a cooking student. They later got married and became business partners.

After cooking school, Anne and Clifford moved to New York City. They worked together in several restaurants there. These experiences helped them learn even more about the restaurant business.

Opening Restaurants in Georgia

In 1992, Anne and Clifford moved to Georgia. They took over Anne's family farm, Summerland. This farm became a key source for fresh ingredients for their future restaurants.

Bacchanalia: A Farm-to-Table Restaurant

In 1993, Anne and Clifford opened their first restaurant, Bacchanalia. It was located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. Bacchanalia served modern American cuisine. This means they took classic American dishes and gave them a fresh, new twist. They used many ingredients directly from their Summerland farm.

In 1995, Anne and Clifford were recognized as "Best New Chefs" by Food & Wine magazine. This was a big honor for their new restaurant.

Floataway Café and Star Provisions

In 1998, they opened another restaurant called Floataway Café. This restaurant was more casual than Bacchanalia. It was located in a former industrial area of northeast Atlanta.

In 1999, Bacchanalia moved to a new spot in the Westside Provisions District of Atlanta. Right next to it, Anne and Clifford opened a grocery store called Star Provisions. This store sold gourmet foods and ingredients. In 2017, both Bacchanalia and Star Provisions moved to a new building nearby.

In 2003, Anne and Clifford won a very important award. They received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. This award is like the "Oscars" for chefs in the United States.

Anne's Other Projects

Anne Quatrano has also shared her cooking knowledge in other ways.

Sharing Recipes in Summerland

In 2013, Anne published a cookbook called Summerland. The book is named after her family farm. It includes recipes for different seasonal celebrations. For example, it has recipes for Thanksgiving and even for tea parties.

Helping the James Beard Foundation

Anne is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the James Beard Foundation. This foundation celebrates and supports chefs and the food industry. In 2018, Anne led a committee that changed how the James Beard Awards were judged. She encouraged voters to think about whether nominees were good role models in the food world.