Chef
Anne Quatrano
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States
i. Biography
From Summerland Farm in Cartersville, Georgia, the work is organized around a direct line between cultivation and service. In Anne Quatrano’s restaurants, the field is not a marketing backdrop; it is part of the operating system. Growing, sourcing, prep, cooking, and dining-room execution are treated as connected disciplines, with standards set before the product reaches Atlanta.
Coming Up
Restaurant formation started with formal study at University of Vermont and California Culinary Academy, then moved through management work where Anne Quatrano learned the room as well as the kitchen. That early register matters in restaurants built for consistency: pacing, staffing, guest flow, and back-of-house discipline all inform the plate. Ingredient-led cooking entered the record through an apprenticeship at Judy Rodgers in San Francisco Bay Area, California. The useful lesson was not ornament but control: clear preparations, restraint, and respect for the condition of the ingredient before technique is applied. Service craft was further built in New York City, New York, where Quatrano worked at Le Petite Ferme, Grolier, and Conrad's Bar & Grill until 1992. Those years supplied the durable mechanics of restaurant work: timing, seasoning, polish, and the backstage steadiness required to make service read as ease. Farm and restaurant practice came together in 1992, when Quatrano became owner of Summerland (since 1992). The same point of view later entered print through her role as author at Summerland (2013–2013). The Atlanta work expanded through co-owner roles at Bacchanalia (since 1993), Floataway Café (since 1998), and Star Provisions (since 1999), building a group defined by seasonality, sourcing, and a precise standard of hospitality. Professional service also extended into institutional work. Quatrano served as chair at James Beard Awards Committee (2018–2018). Today, Anne is member, board of trustees of James Beard Foundation, and co-owner of W.H. Stiles Fish Camp.
The Practice Today
Contemporary American cooking at Bacchanalia in Atlanta is seasonal and reliant entirely on organic ingredients. As Chef-Owner, Quatrano works within a language of refinement without excess: local ingredients, precise preparation, artful presentation, and enough restraint for the product to remain readable. The value is in attention—what arrives from the farm, how it is handled, and how much the kitchen chooses not to obscure. A composed dessert can show the same discipline as a savory plate. The Kona Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich became a featured Great Chefs recipe from Bacchanalia, using contrast—cold, richness, structure, and indulgence—inside the restaurant’s controlled vocabulary. The broader Atlanta group extends that ingredient-focused method beyond one dining room. Quatrano is co-owner of Floataway Café and co-owner of Star Provisions, both part of a working ecosystem built around sourcing, preparation, retail, and daily hospitality. She is also co-owner of W.H. Stiles Fish Camp in Atlanta. Trade leadership has been part of the same practice. Quatrano serves on the James Beard Foundation Board of Directors, served on the James Beard Foundation Awards Committee in 2018, and has served on the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Board of Directors and the Georgia Organics Board of Directors. Those roles place restaurant work in contact with farming, recognition, governance, and professional responsibility. The operating reality remains practical. Restaurants depend on standards, but also on schedules, staffing, invoices, harvests, repairs, and the daily requirement to keep moving.
Signature
Signature dishes include Kona Coffee Ice Cream Sandwich.
Accolades
Anne's honors include Best Chef: Southeast (2003), Best Chefs nominee (2000), Outstanding Chef semifinalist (2008), and Best New Chefs (1995).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Anne
What is Anne Quatrano's current role?
Anne Quatrano is Chef-Owner.
Where did Anne Quatrano train or study?
Anne Quatrano trained at University of Vermont and California Culinary Academy.
What recognition has Anne Quatrano received?
Best Chef: Southeast (2003).
