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Todd Richards
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Born in Chicago and based in Atlanta, with roots tracing back to West Africa, Todd Richards works from a lineage shaped by Soul and Southern cuisines and by the memory those traditions carry. At Jackmont Hospitality, where he serves as director of operations and culinary director, that lineage becomes operational as well as expressive. Richards has said, “The flavors used in Soul cooking remain an expression of where we came from. Equally important, how we cook today defines where we want to go.” The line captures the terms of his practice: inheritance carried forward through technique, and tradition used as a working language.
The Path
Atlanta has been the consistent ground for Richards’ career, which has built through successive roles and larger spans of responsibility. At the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, Todd Richards worked as chef, a post that placed him inside the discipline of polished service and exact standards. From 2016, he served as executive chef at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails in Atlanta, where the work continued to sharpen the link between technique, memory, and personal history. Since 2016, he has been chef/owner of Richards' Southern Fried; since 2018, director of culinary and director of operations at Jackmont Hospitality; and he is also owner of Richards Hospitality. Taken together, the titles describe a chef building platforms for a point of view, not just occupying them.
The Work Today
At Jackmont Hospitality, the work is as much about stewardship as it is about menus. Richards’ current remit sits in the space where hospitality is shaped at scale: operations, culinary direction, and the daily pressure of keeping a clear identity intact. Todd Richards’ role in that environment points to a practice that stays close to the plate while also managing the structure around it. The result is food grounded in lineage, articulated with discipline, and carried across multiple kitchens.
Signature
Richards’ signature dishes include Soul, Roots, Heart, Hoppin' John with Turnips and Turnip Greens, Mom's Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce, and Collard Greens Ramen. Read as a set, they show the range of his register: heritage terms, family reference, and a willingness to let tradition meet another form without losing the original signal. Hoppin' John with Turnips and Turnip Greens stays close to the logic of Southern comfort. Mom's Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce brings home cooking into sharper focus. Collard Greens Ramen shows Richards working at the edge of category, where a chef can make a familiar ingredient carry a different structure.
In Their Words “My ancestors were slaves. Like our grits, they ate fufu, like our air-dried meats they made biltong, and, as we do, they used salt and vinegar as a means of preservation.”
Acclaim
Todd's honors include Best Chef Southeast nomination and IACP Cookbook Award for Soul (2019). The recognition sits alongside work that is both culturally pointed and formally organized, acknowledging a chef who treats ancestry as craft knowledge and present-tense practice rather than background alone.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Todd
What is Todd Richards's current role?
As of 2026, Todd Richards is Director of operations.
Where did Todd Richards work before?
Todd Richards's earlier career included Ritz-Carlton Buckhead and White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails.
What recognition has Todd Richards received?
Best Chef Southeast nomination.
