Chef Todd Richards brings exuberance and imagination together with expert cooking techniques and the finest ingredients from across the region to his Modern American menus at The Café. He focuses on every aspect of his cuisine, starting the day researching ingredients and purveyors, and finishing with a menu of dishes perfectly balanced, fresh and infused with flavor.

Chef Richards worked at some of the finest dining venues in the city including The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta (Downtown), before transferring to The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach in 2003. He moved to the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville as chef de cuisine of Kentucky’s only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant, The Oakroom, where he received accolades from critics and guests. Upon his return to Atlanta in 2008, he was corporate chef at One Flew South, the first fine dining restaurant at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; and chef owner of Rolling Bones BBQ, named one of the “Top 10 New Barbecue Restaurants in America” by Bon Appétit, July 2009. He joined The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in late 2010.

Chef Richards appeared on Iron Chef America, crusades to find a cure for Lupus and plays jazz piano at home.

Sommelier Linda Alarcon selects the wines poured throughout the hotel, from The Café, Lobby Lounge, Wine Bar and Club Lounge, to wedding receptions and parties. She demonstrates a masterful talent for pairing wines with Chef Todd Richards’ Modern American cuisine in The Café, and infuses the list of wines-by-the-glass in The Lobby Lounge with the delightfully unexpected. Ms. Alarcon’s fine expertise and polished style is evident in her management of the hotel’s wine cellar which has been renowned for more than a quarter-century. She continues to work toward certification by the Court of Master Sommeliers, recently completing Level Two of the program.

Mixologist Christa Sladky is reinventing the cocktail hour with her hand-crafted creations.

Ingenious Christa creates cocktail recipes and makes the ingredients herself, including basil syrup, grenadine, berry purees and ginger beer. She attributes weekly visits to the farmer’s market for inspiring new creations. Tasting is believing. Try Black Beauty, made with muddled blackberries and Lillet Rouge, or Palomino Cobbler with Palomino sherry and strawberry puree.

The Wine Bar
Located near The Café, The Wine Bar is ideal for quiet conversation and hand-crafted cocktails created by Mixologist Christa Sladky.

• Wednesday through Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Menu of hand-crafted cocktails and small plates
• Ingredients such as ginger beer, fruit purees and all juices are house-made, resulting in unique cocktails with fresh, intense flavors