2026 Chefs

Billy is the founder & owner of NFA Burger as well as the creator of The Burger Benefit.

Billy’s father, Marshall, spent a significant portion of his career heavily involved in the Two-Ten Foundation…an organization dedicated to helping members of the shoe industry who are struggling.

Billy’s entry into the restaurant industry led him get involved with The Giving Kitchen, an organization dedicated to helping restaurant workers in need.

Chef John Benhase is “from” a lot of places – from early days growing up in Durham, North Carolina, to formative years in Washington, D.C., where he fell in love with serving others and the power of the restaurant community. John moved to Savannah, GA where he started working his way up from washing dishes. With new skills and a love for seasonal and ingredient driven cooking, John made his move to Atlanta to pursue opportunities with The Ford Fry Group and The Rye Restaurant Group, under chef’s like Craig Richards, Adam Evans, and Todd Ginsberg and more mentors than can be named.

In 2018, John and his wife, Sarah, moved back to Savannah to help open Starland Yard, an outdoor street food and drinks venue, and fine-dining spot, Common Thread. In 2021, he served as culinary consultant for Searchlight Picture’s “The Menu,” coaching lead and background actors on things like knife skills, restaurant flow, presence and plating. During his time on set, he collaborated with world-renowned Chef Dominque Crenn and her team. His most notable contribution to the film was the development of the cheeseburger (if you know, you know!) that served as a pivotal plot point for the film’s dramatic ending.

John has taken a step back from everyday kitchen life as he and his wife have welcomed their first child, Chance, in April of 2022. He is currently working on new concepts with his partners at Starland Yard, consulting, and spending as much time with his son as possible.

John is proud to have supported Giving Kitchen through their aid to his coworkers, benefit dinners, volunteering, and fundraising and events at Starland Yard.

Chris Hall is clearly the most rakishly handsome and debonair of the three Unsukay Partners.

His story begins right around the corner from Local Three at the Pizza Hut on Collier Road, where he worked as a teenager. Somehow, the magic smell of pepperoni and yeast lured him in and 25+ years later he is still at it. Either that, or he is just too dense to figure anything else out…So he threw some pizzas and moved up the proverbial ladder, eventually landing, while in college, at Philadelphia’s famed Lec Bec Fin where he was begrudgingly taught to cook by an angry Frenchman & his minions. It was a kitchen ripe with talent (and he was too dumb to be scared), so he set off to learning and taught himself how to cook.

Some folks, including a few dining critics, claim he never learned to cook, but undaunted, he still kept trying.
Hall eventually headed home to Atlanta in search of bourbon and a Southern Belle. He found both and is still in love with both to this day. He landed at Canoe on his return and cut his teeth with Gary Mennie, George McKerrow, Ron San Martin and the gang by the river. It was an amazing time at an incredible restaurant and the most formative of his cooking years; but he always knew he wanted his own place, and if nothing else, to cook what he wanted, however he wanted, whenever he wanted. So after meeting Turner and Muss, a fast friendship formed and they began talking about a partnership. It was a long winding road to eventually get there, but the seed for Local Three was born. Years later, they opened Local Three to a swell of critical and guest acclaim and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now you can find Hall mentoring cooks and doing what he likes most: working on the creative aspects of Local Three, Warhorse Investments, and Unsukay. His true passion these days is to help people in much the same way people helped him in his career.

He loves to coach and mentor and is still entranced by the machinations of the restaurant business.
Hall participates actively in a number of charities and is Vice Chairman of The Giving Kitchen. In 2015, Chris, Ryan, and Todd were named Cornerstone Humanitarians by the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation for their role in kickstarting The Giving Kitchen. In 2019, the Giving Kitchen was named Humanitarians of the Year by the James Beard Foundation

He out-kicked his coverage by a long way and has been married to his wife Julie since 2000 They live in Smyrna, and when he is not in the restaurants, he is golfing, crashing around the woods, shooting at things, and generally acting the fool. Hall loves both kinds of football, round & oblong and is obsessed with Atlanta United, Arsenal winning the Premier League, and Georgia Tech winning a national championship. He likes breaking 80 on the golf course, Dusty Rhodes, the Dude, a great bottle of wine, a fine cigar, brown whiskey, piña coladas and getting caught in the rain…… But most of all, he is incredibly grateful for the staff, guests, and friends, old & new, who keep the company going.

Michael Mayta and Keily Vasquez are a husband and wife team. Mikey has over 15 years of industry experience with Keily having a lifetime working in her families restaurant in El Salvador.

They met at Michy’s and started working together on their first project, ILLEGAL Bakery, for their shared love of the sweet life. Fast forward a few years, out a sheer necessity to stay busy they opened up USBS in late 2018, with the help of friends Agustin Gamboa and Dave Bailey, behind Boxelder Craft Beer Market. Keily handles the Baking and Day to Day, while Mikey comes up with clever Burger names and “grinds”. As we plan on growing our operation, we have an old friend joining the team.

Emmanuel Mendia aka Manny is Mikey’s friend of 20 years. He’s cooked at MGFD and alongside Mikey at Michy’s and Cena by Michy, as well as Son of a Gun and Rebuplique.

Originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Cole Meierstein spent years traveling the country in search of the perfect cheeseburger. While he found numerous shining examples from NYC to Oklahoma to L.A., the burger of his dreams ended up coming from his own kitchen. His background in the food and beverage industry gave him exposure to acclaimed chefs who inspired him to leave the corporate world and hang out his own shingle. “I just wasn’t having fun any more” in the corporate world, he reflected. “I want to be doing this for my own business”.

The original “Dreamburger” is beautiful in its simplicity: two ground beef lacey-edged patties smashed with razor thin onions, two thick slices of American cheese, crunchy dill pickles, Meierstein’s homemade “Dreamsauce”, all on a butter toasted potato roll. 

“The more I perfected my burger, the more friends and family raved about it, the more I realized this could become a reality,” he stated. Every weekend, he serves hundreds of hungry customers, from first-time visitors to loyal followers. Meierstein’s epicurean quest has become a staple of the East Nashville food community, and one of the most-acclaimed food trucks in the region.

Dreamburger is about to celebrate their 3rd anniversary in Nashville, TN and in that short time they’ve already earned an impressive list of awards including: “Peoples Choice Winner” 2023 Nashville Lifestyles Magazine Annual Battle of the Burgers, The Nashville Scene’s Food Fight Edition “Best Burger”, and recently earned a spot on The Top 25 Best Burgers in World by Burger Dudes.

Chef Freddy Money, with a rich culinary background and a passion for innovative food presentation, creates memorable dining experiences. He believes in storytelling through food, crafting menus that emphasize ingredients, origin, and texture. Trained in top European kitchens, including the Alain Ducasse Group, he took the helm at Atlas to design unique and stylish dishes for guest enjoyment. Freddy has been appointed as the Culinary Director for Atlas and The Garden Room within The St Regis Atlanta and Nami in Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida. Chef Freddy has contributed his experience, imagination and passion across Tavistock Group hospitality projects at the highest level.

George Motz is a well-traveled chef, author, award-winning filmmaker, and photographer. He has also been called the”Foremost authority on hamburgers’ by The New York Times, and”America’s biggest burger name’ by Eater LA. In the spring of 2004 Motz completed Hamburger America, his second decumentary film which he shot, produced, edited, and directed. The film was nominated in 2006 for a James Beard Award and in 2011 was recognized by the US National Archives as an integral part of American food history. The film’s success led to a state-by-state guide to hamburgers, also titled Hamburger America, a State-by-State Guide to Great Burger Joints. And in 2016, Abrams Books released his first cookbook, The Great American Burger Book, fully updated in May 2023. George can be seen on his show Burger Scholar Sessions on Complex Media’s First We Feast.

George can also be found spreading the word of burger around the globe through workshops, consultations and burger pop-ups. He recently opened his dream restaurant, Hamburger America, in the Soho neighborhood of NYC, which was awarded 2-stars by Pete Wells in the New York Times.

Kevin Rathbun is a big presence on Atlanta’s culinary scene. His physical stature may be what people notice initially, but it’s his robust flavors, genuine hospitality, and big heart that make a lasting impression.

Kevin’s passion for food and hospitality started early. He grew up in Kansas City, where his mother operated several prominent restaurants, and where his father, a jazz musician, provided musical stylings. Kevin started as a dishwasher, worked his way up through the ranks, and never looked back. As a child and teen, he worked hard to become an Eagle Scout (a feat only about 5% of scouts achieve), showcasing his exemplary perseverance, leadership, dedication and integrity, all qualities that set him apart to this day. Following culinary school, he worked in New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta with nationally known celebrity chefs and restaurateurs including Bradley Ogden, Emeril Lagasse, Stephen Pyles, Ella Brennan, and Pano Karatassos.

No matter the style of cuisine, Kevin brought his signature bold flavors and generous leadership style to each project. In 1994, he was nominated for the James Beard Awards “Rising Star Chef” for his work at Baby Routh. In 1996, he introduced Southwestern fare to Atlanta with the opening of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group’s pioneering restaurant, Nava, and then presented Asian-fusion cuisine with the group’s Bluepointe. He then served as the company’s Corporate Executive Chef, overseeing several BLRG restaurants.

After years of building blockbuster restaurants for other entrepreneurs, Kevin decided to make his long-time dream of owning his own place a reality. He discovered a warehouse-style space in Inman Park and became a pioneer in the area, opening his first namesake restaurant, Rathbun’s, in 2004, laying the groundwork for it to become the dining destination it is today. When he opened the doors to the modern American-style eatery, he invited the city of Atlanta to come experience his dream. What a dream it was! Both culinary fans and media caught the vision; a seat at Rathbun’s quickly became the hottest ticket in town. It was named to Esquire’s coveted “Best New Restaurants in America” list, as the year’s “Best New American Restaurant” in Travel + Leisure, and was showered with a host of other accolades.

The momentum kept going at full force. Kevin opened Krog Bar the next year, and followed up with Kevin Rathbun Steak, perfectly positioned on the Atlanta BeltLine, in 2007. In 2013, he opened KR Steakbar in Buckhead’s Peachtree Hills neighborhood. Ever a media favorite, Kevin has appeared on dozens of television programs including The Today Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Good Day Atlanta. On Food Network, Kevin competed against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America, besting the celebrity chef in “Battle Elk” (you can try the winning recipe on Kevin Rathbun Steak’s menu!) in front of a national audience. He went on to win on the network’s popular Chopped, in a sibling rivalry show with his brother, Dallas-based chef Kent Rathbun. Kevin’s natural combination of talent, skill, grace under pressure, and personality have made him a perennial fan favorite.

Philanthropy and improving his community has always been a major focus for Kevin. His tireless commitment to giving has led him to serve on boards, at events and through donations to organizations both local and national, including Taste of the NFL’s Kick Hunger Challenge, No Kid Hungry, Open Hand Atlanta, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, the High Museum of Art, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Les Dames d’Escoffier, March of Dimes, Giving Kitchen and many more.

In 2008, the Atlanta City Council issued a proclamation in his honor, recognizing his excellence as a chef and restaurateur, as well as his generosity to charitable causes. Kevin has been named the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year at its annual GRACE Awards and was honored with 11Alive’s “11 Who Care” community service award. In 2022, the Atlanta Hawks presented him with the “Forever 404 Honors Presented by Sharecare,” acknowledging his ongoing commitment to the Atlanta community.

Kevin’s wife of more than three decades, Melissa, whom he met working at the famed Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, has been by his side every step of the way. She’s a constant source of inspiration and support, and frequent guests will recognize her warm smile that’s a regular fixture in the restaurants. In his spare time, the big-hearted chef enjoys collecting cookbooks, dining out, traveling, and smoking a fine cigar on occasion. He’s humbled to have the support of his Atlanta community, enabling him to continue to be a visionary in both the local and national restaurant landscape.

In 2020, having lived in Athens, Ga for the past 20 years, it was time to return home to where I grew up, Charleston, SC. I wanted to be a part of this community, and to serve the great people here, and my love of burgers seemed to be the best fit.

What started as a wild idea and a love of cheeseburgers, quickly became a pop-up serving at local breweries, and evolved into a thriving food truck, catering, and festivals. Now, a brick and mortar, taking over Fair Deal Grocery, at 47 Cooper St., on the Charleston Peninsula.

Burgers have always been a love of mine, from my Great Grandmother, and her buttermilk burgers to the McDouble. So, after some soul searching, and exploring the history of them and how they hav e been a staple of our culture for the past 100 years, I’ve worked to stay true to the traditional smash burger, while coloring outside the lines with our takes on some local and national ingredients.

Chef Rhasaan’s culinary philosophy is an artful fusion of innovation, tradition, and an unwavering passion for quality ingredients, masterfully brought to life by the tight-knit team of two, with his dedicated wife as an integral collaborator. Each meticulously crafted dish is a testament to this philosophy, tantalizing taste buds and inspiring both patrons and aspiring chefs. This culinary approach, achieved with a small but devoted staff, serves as a beacon of inspiration, illustrating the boundless possibilities achievable through the marriage of creativity and expertise.