About Me

If you want to become a great chef, you have to work with great chefs.  And that’s exactly what I did…

A native of New York, apprenticed under Robert Holley, Gilbert LeCoze and Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, New York’s internationally acclaimed four star seafood restaurant and the sister restaurant of Atlanta’s Brasserie Le Coze. Chef Holley helped open the Coconut Grove location of Brasserie Le Coze in Miami, Florida and then moved to Atlanta to assist with the opening of the second location at Lenox Square in 1994. Holley’s talents were recognized and Pano Karatassos of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group courted him to steer the course at Chops and open The Lobster Bar. During Holley’s tenure as executive chef at Chops, the restaurant was consistently rated as one of the top steakhouses in the United States

Holley began his culinary career at the age of fifteen, and will admit that he cannot remember a time when he did not possess a love for all things culinary and so it came as no surprise to him that his career path would lead him into the heat of a restaurant kitchen. Both of his parents were quite skilled in the family’s kitchen and that was no easy feat with a family of seven to feed. He remembers summer weekends on the beach at Montauk where he and friends gathered and ate off the shore — collecting shellfish from the ocean and cooking them over the campfire for delicious dinners on the beach.

Chef Holley presents a traditional steakhouse menu that is reflective of its culinary traditions, still ambitious enough to attract sophisticated diners that want more than meat and potatoes on their plate. There is attention to detail in the preparation of all items and a commitment to quality that demands notice even in a simply grilled steak. And Chef Holley takes great pride in the fact that all beef is cut on premise to his specification. Since opening in 2000, Chef Holley and his staff have enjoyed rave reviews by dining critics including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and Jezebel Magazines.

Chef Holley participates in multiple non-profit organizations such as The American Liver Foundation, March of Dimes, Camp Twin Lakes, Share Our Strength, The Atlanta Community Food Bank and also takes part in events such as the Taste of Alpharetta, Cystic Fibrosis Alpharetta Wine Opener, Hit ‘em for Hemophilia Golf Tournament and the Dodge Tour of Georgia.

Richard@Cabernetsteakhouse.com