Chef Matt Cohen, owner of the popular eatery "Chef Matt Cohen’s New South Café at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum," was recently honored with the prestigious 2008 Grace Award for Innovator of the Year at the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Awards black tie Gala held at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.
The Grace Awards Gala is the only event of its kind. Stars of the restaurant industry gather to pay tribute to their own and exclusively honor those who have made exemplary contributions to Georgia’s prolific restaurant industry. Chef Matt was named Innovator of the Year for the fresh concepts he has brought forward within the industry and for the work he has done throughout 2008 demonstrating these ideas.
"I think that the future of the restaurant industry will lend itself to less competition and more camaraderie and cooperation among independent small businesses," Chef Matt said.
Chef Matt feels strongly that by uniting as fellow restaurateurs and chefs, they become a greater collective force, which elevates everyone in the process. An example of this is the Coastal Catering Alliance (CCA) which was co-founded by Chef Matt in 2008. The CCA is a large co-op consisting of some of Savannah’s top chefs and catering companies, able to service large scale catering events for up to 30,000 people.
"Through the CCA, as a united group, caterers and chefs in Savannah are now able to take on sizable jobs which were only available to a couple of the large, high-end Savannah hotels before," Chef Matt said. "Now large organizations that select Savannah for their event destination location have a choice among some of the best local culinary professionals in the area."
About New South Café:
Opened in 2006, the New South Café offers comfort food gourmet style, matching your appetite for a new culinary experience with your hunger for the authentic food of the south. Their menu showcases Georgia’s finest food ingredients, from Georgia Wild Shrimp to Vidalia onions.
Owner Chef Matt Cohen, a fifth generation Savannah native, is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, and has worked in big name restaurants throughout New York and Atlanta. 912-748-8888 www.thenewsouthcafe.com
Chef Matt Cohen’s New South Café at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is now open exclusively for lunch seven days a week from 11am to 2pm, serving his most popular dishes from The New South Cafe Express Bar, with plans to open for dinner in January. Chef Matt offers upscale catering services for corporate events, conventions, executive lunches, private parties, weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs.