Kevin Gillespie’s ‘Gunshow’ Opens
Amid much anticipation, Atlanta chef Kevin Gillespie opened his new restaurant this week. But will another celebrity chef concept survive where others haven’t?
‘Gunshow’ is not only a difficult restaurant name for some patrons to swallow, but the concept is also a little different. The bare-bones, yet high-end restaurant in East Atlanta’s Glenwood Park does have an open kitchen and doesn’t have a traditional menu.
Instead, servers bring around local, seasonal offerings on rolling trays, as they are prepared, similar to what you may find at a dim sum parlor or Brazilian steak house.
Will people buy it? John Kessler, dining editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution thinks they will. “I’m optimistic. I think it will add a lot to the city and I bet you this will not be the first restaurant like this here.”
Kessler has seen local celebrity chefs open restaurants to much fanfare, only to close months later. And in 2012, according to a report in the AJC, at least 50 restaurants opened in the city, and at least 13 closed. But Kessler believes that Atlanta’s restaurant scene is going through a ‘renovation,’ and that Gillespie’s concept is following along.
“I think Kevin’s celebrity and the good will the city feels toward him will go a long way and I think there will be a lot of people who will go to check the restaurant out. As for sustainability, it will be interesting to see.”
The native Atlantan was voted fan favorite on cable tv’s “Top Chef” and Gillespie was a James Beard finalist for his recent cookbook. The restaurant’s name was inspired by Gillespie’s father, who worked nearly every day, but on a rare Sunday, would take his son to a gun show.
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