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Terry Koval
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
From South Carolina to chef-owner roles in Decatur, Terry Koval’s path has been built one station, one title, and one kitchen at a time. He left South Carolina for Atlanta in 2000, and the arc from there shows a career shaped by service, management, and ownership, with patience doing as much work as ambition.
The Climb
At John Paul’s Armadillo Oil Company in Greenville, South Carolina, Terry Koval started as a dishwasher, learning kitchen tempo and pressure from the bottom rung. From there, the work moved upward in clear steps: Executive Sous Chef at Canoe in Vinings, Georgia; Executive Sous Chef at Lobby at TWELVE; and Executive Chef at Room at TWELVE. Each role carried broader responsibility, extending from execution on the line into the coordination of the dining room around it. By 2010, Terry was chef at Farm Burger, keeping his career in motion while adding another stage of experience. Three years later, in 2013, he became Executive Chef at Wrecking Bar Brewpub. The pattern across those years is steady and legible: authority earned in increments, with each role building on the last. Since 2019, Terry has been chef-owner of The Deer and the Dove and chef-owner of B-SIDE. Those positions mark the point where his career moved from advancement through other people’s kitchens to ownership of his own work.
Today
Since 2019, he has served as chef-owner at The Deer and the Dove and B-SIDE in Decatur, Georgia. Together, those restaurants define the present phase of his work: not another step on the ladder, but the consolidation of years spent moving through back-of-house ranks. In Decatur, the career reads less as movement and more as structure, with the two addresses carrying the weight of what came before. That shift does not close the book on the path behind it. After years of learning kitchens from the ground up, Terry’s current role places him in direct control of his own operations, with The Deer and the Dove and B-SIDE standing as the clearest expression of the career he has built since leaving South Carolina in 2000.
Recognition
Terry's honors include Best Chef Southeast (2023), Farmer Champion gold (2021), Snail of Approval (2014), and Atlanta Rising Star Sustainable Chef (2012). Read together, those awards map a record of sustained progress, with recognition arriving at different points and adding up to a career defined by continuity rather than a single break-out moment.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Terry
What is Terry Koval's current role?
As of 2026, Terry Koval is chef-owner at the Deer and the Dove and B-SIDE.
Where did Terry Koval work before?
Terry Koval's earlier career included John Paul’s Armadillo Oil Company, Canoe, and Lobby at TWELVE.
What recognition has Terry Koval received?
Best Chef Southeast (2023).
