Billy Cole Hired as Gunshow’s First Pastry Chef

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 Emily Connolly or Morgan Dyches

 Melissa Libby & Associates

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BILLY COLE HIRED AS GUNSHOW’S FIRST PASTRY CHEF

Atlanta Native Appointed to New Position at Kevin Gillespie’s Glenwood Park Restaurant

ATLANTA (July 13, 2016) – This month, Atlanta chef, restaurateur, speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie welcomes Billy Cole to his Gunshow team. As the first pastry chef for the Glenwood Park restaurant, Cole brings a well-balanced background that includes 12 years of culinary experience in both the pastry and savory sectors. Experimenting with savory and sweet dishes in his previous positions, which include roles at Restaurant Eugene and The Luminary in Atlanta, has given him a strong foundation to build upon and an endless source of creative inspiration.

In his new role, Cole aims to continue growing as a chef by constantly improving his craft. “I think of Gunshow as Atlanta’s best sounding board for culinary creativity,” he says. “I love not being restricted to one genre of cuisine, and it’s inspiring to have the autonomy to innovate and hopefully expand guests’ palates. But what is even more exciting is the idea of being surrounded by so many great young chefs in the Gunshow kitchen who expand my horizons as well.”

Prior to his arrival at Gunshow, Cole spent the past two years as the chef de cuisine at The Luminary, a French brasserie in Atlanta. He was responsible for staffing and training, all ordering and sourcing, improving food costs and both savory and pastry menu planning. Before The Luminary, Cole was the assistant pastry chef under James Beard Award semi-finalist Aaron Russell at Restaurant Eugene for four years. His pastry program emphasized classic French and modern techniques using local ingredients. Cole’s pastry experience also includes The Chocolate Bar in Decatur, where he oversaw all pastry production for the restaurant. In addition to working at these top Atlanta establishments, he has also staged at Michelin-starred restaurants In de Wulf in Dranouter, Belgium, and Manresa in Los Gatos, California.

“Billy is a great match for Gunshow. He’s extremely driven and is always looking to challenge himself,” says Gunshow’s executive chef Joey Ward. “The way he’s rotated between savory and pastry chef positions so seamlessly in the past has given him a masterful understanding of savory techniques and flavors. For our guests, that means an elegant transition into dessert courses to end their meal on a well-balanced note.”

A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, Cole began his culinary career working for chef Richard Blais in Atlanta as chef de partie at Element Gastro Lounge and Food Lab, then as sous chef at Home Restaurant & Bar and at culinary production company Trail Blais. As a result, he has proven to be a forward thinking self-starter who is no stranger to envelope-pushing cuisine, making him feel right at home in Gunshow’s kitchen.

Gunshow is located at 924 Garrett Street. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made one month in advance online. Guests may park in the Glenwood Park parking lot and on the street. For more information, visit gunshowatl.com or call 404-380-1886.

About Red Beard Restaurants

Red Beard Restaurants is the parent company that oversees Atlanta chef, restaurateur, speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie’s food and beverage ventures, including his restaurants Communion, Gunshow and Revival, his BBQ pop-up Terminus City and all of his merchandise. The management company allows Gillespie to set comprehensive standards to ensure smart expansion, offer more internal growth opportunities for his team members and provide consulting services to other food and beverage start-ups. With the 2015 establishment of Red Beard Restaurants, Gillespie is able to continue his day-to-day interactions with diners while also pursuing his creative visions and impacting the culinary landscape of the South. The company’s offices are located in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit redbeardrestaurants.com.

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