Gerry ‘G.’ Garvin
Before heading off to California to study under chef Jean Pierre Dubray, he started as a cook at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta. He has published “Turn Up the Heat With G. Garvin” in 2006 along with numerous other cookbooks. Garvin has had multiple cooking shows, and his most recent is Road Trip With G. Garvin on the Cooking Channel. Also, he has a restaurant, G. Garvin’s, based in Los Angeles.
Robert W. Lee
Lee (Jan. 1, 1911 – Nov. 24, 1999) started his career in Atlanta at the tender age of 7 before becoming the first Black executive chef at Harrisburger Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He managed a team of white cooks who refused to work for him. So he hired Black cooks who would follow him. He taught and mentored Black chefs like Joe Randall. In addition to being a mentor, Lee was named Chef of the Year from 1970 through 1979 by a group of his peers.