by Delaney Tarr, Managing Editor

‘Tis the season for farmers markets and fresh produce.

Across Georgia, residents are flocking to the weekly markets for snap peas, strawberries and seasonal produce grown right in the state. The warm weather puts a spotlight on locally sourced and grown food.

But for a cohort of executive chefs, locally grown food is a year-round affair. At the Georgia State Capitol on March 10, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Restaurant Association honored its nine new “Georgia Grown Executive Chefs.”

The title refers to a few chefs chosen by the statewide Georgia Grown initiative – a program aimed at fostering relationships between chefs and farmers while raising awareness of the quality of locally sourced and grown products in Georgia.

In short, it’s a program about buying and eating local food, and the chosen chefs exemplify it.

“These chefs were selected not only for their outstanding culinary abilities, but also for their commitment to sourcing Georgia Grown products directly from Georgia farmers,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper said.

Georgia Grown’s current comprehensive plan was officially launched in 2012 with a push to aid agriculture economies and an inaugural class of honored executive chefs.

The 2026 chef lineup includes:

• Ben Vaughn, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktail – Atlanta
• Burns Sullivan, 5 & 10 – Athens
• Christian Bell, Oreatha’s at The Point – Atlanta
• Gary Caldwell, Vice Steak Bar – Alpharetta
• Hudson Terrell, The Animal Farm & Gabagool – Columbus
• Kyle Bryner, Blue Hound Barbecue – Dillard
• Taylor Mead, Atlanta Botanical Garden – Atlanta
• Laura Orellana, Osteria Mattone – Roswell

It represents a variety of cuisines, from Italian to barbecue and even botanical garden-grown fare. Georgia Restaurant Association President Stephanie Fischer thinks it displays the state’s wide-ranging culinary scene.

“Diversity is essential when telling the story about Georgia’s food culture,” Fischer said.

But a diverse menu is only one piece of the Georgia Grown chef program. Fischer said the chefs must demonstrate a “clear and ongoing commitment” to sourcing and promoting Georgia Grown products. That includes building relationships with farmers and even displaying the produce sourcing on the menus if possible.

“The chefs are kind of like ambassadors,” Fischer said.

For the restaurant association and agriculture department, the initiative is meant to work as an economic driver for the farms and growers. The chefs can boost the farms, which can boost their profile and business.

But for cooks like Laura Orellana, executive chef at Osteria Mattone in Roswell, buying local is simply the obvious choice. Her menu features pizzas and pastas full of seasonal produce and breads sourced from local bakeries.

She’s always shopped locally. Growing up in El Salvador, Orellana would shop at local markets for food. Her grandmother would even sell vegetables there.

“I know how important it is, and how hard the farmers work every day to make this happen,” Orellana said. “So, for me, it’s like I’m saying ‘thank you’ for all the effort.”

She plans her menus around the farmers she has relationships with. One day, she’ll text her “mushroom guy” to see what he has for her. Next week, it could be on the menu as mushroom pasta. She’s already gearing up to make a spring pesto using “beautiful, green, flavorful” Georgia-grown basil.

“It makes it very easy as a chef when you have a really good source of ingredients to work with,” Orellana said.

Fischer hopes the initiative will spotlight relationships like the ones between Orellana and her farmers. If the chefs list the farms on their menus, the Georgia Grown initiative can get an added boost.

“When our chefs highlight all of this on their menu or talk about it, it’s really important,” Fischer said.

It pays off. Orellana often has customers ask her about the farms she sources from, or the bakery she works with for fresh bread. The executive chef is proud to answer.

“To highlight them and their work through my work, it’s very fulfilling for me as a chef,” Orellana said.

Ultimately, Fischer said the Georgia Restaurant Association and the Department of Agriculture aim to grow the program and turn it into a proper “economic driver” for growers. The status of using locally grown food can also act as a boost for the over 23,000 establishments represented by GRA. In turn, she hopes it can strengthen the bonds between urban and rural economies.

“We’re keeping this money within the state, and we’re showcasing what’s happening in the state in our restaurants,” Fischer said.

Delaney Tarr is a Florida native-turned-Georgia lover with years of experience covering the ins and outs of Atlanta. She specializes in untold stories, eclectic profiles and hard-hitting news.