Chef marvin woods restaurant atlanta

Marvin Woods—a chef with twenty-five years of experience including Café Beulah in New York and the now-defunct Spice in Atlanta—is opening a “coastal soul” restaurant in the Luckie-Marietta district of downtown Atlanta on November Called Asante, which means “gratitude” in Swahili, the restaurant combines influences from the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Africa and the southern states.

“Asante sana means ‘thank you very much’—that’s the state of mind I’m in,” Woods says.

“With the restaurant, we’re bringing old-school hospitality back to the industry.”

He’s referring to the idea of amuse bouche, snacks at the bar, and servers carrying drinks for diners.

The food itself will reflect how cultures blended and ideas traveled through the African diaspora.

Chef marvin woods restaurant atlanta

“Pigeon peas, black-eyed peas. Empanadas, meat patties, maggot pie. It’s all connected by one lineage with different geographic locations,” Woods explains.

While Asante’s menu is still in development, Woods promises