(match sizzles) (dramatic music) - Innovation in and of itself is already destined for controversy- (dramatic music) because you do have to tear things down in order to build something new.

(dramatic music) When people are doing innovative things, they are destroying an idea.

(dramatic music) They're destroying a perspective, and that hurts sometimes.

(inspiring music) It takes a lot of courage to be able to move in that way, especially again and again.

(inspiring music) I mean, the very nature of pushing walls down, tearing walls down just says that you have to destroy in order to build.

(fire whooshes) (dramatic music) (dramatic music continues) (dramatic music continues) (dramatic music ends) (thrilling music) (air whooshes) For a while now, Atlanta has been tearing down walls.

1864, Atlanta is burned to the ground, but that fire raised a spirit to innovate and create.

Today, this spirit of innovation still lives across Atlanta's culinary landscape.

The innovators of the food scene in Atlanta are doing it again and again.

These innovators are contributing fresh, unconventional ideas to Atlanta's food scene.

They are not afraid to break away from the normal and try something imaginative.

They live on this edge that does not allow them to take shortcuts or an easy path.

They are offering something completely new.

So, what does this city's culinary innovation taste like?

My name is Taria Camerino.

I'm a classically French-trained chef and I experience the world through taste.

I'm in Atlanta to experience the fire of this city's culinary food scene.

Imagine being in a city where you can't find a sense of home, right?

You can't eat the food that you crave, that makes you feel like home.

That is what's driving Mia.

(chefs chatter) Chef Mia Orino is (huffs) probably one of the biggest innovators because she came to a city where she didn't see any representation of her food.

(spirited music) She never cooked before this, and she's cooking the food she learned to cook with her mother.

(spirited music) - I've cooked with Mia a few times now, and I'm always captivated by how soulful, and it's straight from her soul and from where she's from, and you can, it exudes that whenever you taste her food and see her cooking.

- I cook by intuition.

I cook by experience, but how I saw my mom.

- And she did that simply because she wanted representation.

She wanted to be able to find that kind of comfort.

- Who we feed are just not Filipinos.

We go beyond our own people.

That's how it is.

I don't want it to be, like, compartmentalized and just catering to the Filipinos, because Atlanta has how many nationalities around?

I'm an immigrant, as you can tell from my accent.

I didn't grow up here, but Atlanta has welcomed us, welcomed me.

- She took us to some restaurants that before she was able to eat Filipino food, she found home.

She found food that reminded her of home.

20 minutes north of Atlanta is a thriving Vietnamese community.

- Going to Nam Phuong was amazing.

The menu is massive.

This was the first, I wouldn't wanna say ethnic, but this was the first restaurant I ever came to when I moved here, and it just, I made a happy dance.

(laughs) I love that there are places like this in Atlanta that exists for my cravings, for everyone to try and enjoy.

- They cook authentically.

They're cooking with a wok, high, high heat- (fire whooshes) which, for Vietnamese food, is important, so it's fast so it retains that freshness.

- She's not cutting back on the spices, the flavors, the texture and she goes out of her way to find, like, little suppliers that can provide her to make it authentic and real.

(fire whooshes) - What's fascinating is that Atlanta has the third-largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam.

I don't think that many Atlantans know that.

And eating at a restaurant that so completely cooks Vietnamese food.

They're cooking for Vietnamese people, which I think is a testament, right?

So, if you're in there and everyone that's eating there is Vietnamese, you can probably be confident that the food is gonna be spot on, delicious.

(air whooshes) (subdued music) Snackboxe Bistro is near Buford Highway and not far from Nam Phuong, but the food is very different.

Eating at Snackboxe Bistro, so we're eating Laotian food, which was (huffs) unbelievably delicious.

- Yes, yes.

(laughs) I was gonna say, "Shouldn't we have, like, two sticks together?"

- My god.

- [Mia] One for you and one for me.

- That's so good.

I hadn't eaten Laotian food, and so to know how distinctly they use the same ingredients that Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, they're all using these same ingredients, but they tell that story in such a unique way.

- The rice, we like wrapping it in lettuce, and then if you wanna kick it up a notch, then you put a chili in it, and then you wrap it and just put it in your mouth.

- So, one of the things that I noticed is that they use both fresh and dried chilies on the plate, which isn't necessarily the most common thing to do, and that afforded that rich, robust spice, but then it had this fresh, vibrant element as well.

- The core of me still longs for the Philippines, and food is such a huge thing for us because we're so poor, but that's one thing that we value.

Like, no matter what your level of income or anything, we all eat with our hands.

You can be, like, running a corporation in Manila, and at the end of the day, you still eat dried fish, you know, we still eat adobo, so that's what connects us no matter where you are in life, so (laughs) and I get emotional.

I get emotional because I was mad at, the first time I found out that there was no Filipino food, I told you, right?

I got upset.

- She had to, and still has to keep pushing herself.

- And then anger started coming in, because why?

No one ever dared, you know, and I said, "I'm gonna do it.

Am I be able to do it?

I'm not even, like, a chef," so, but the anger came over because what are the other Filipinos doing and are they afraid that the cuisine, the cuisine is not good enough?

- Because she doesn't, she's just gonna tell it anyway.

No matter what the cost is, she's gonna keep going.

- You know, cooking is like a love language.

For me, it is, and it's an ode to my culture, my heritage.

I give 100% for every dish.

- Yeah.

- I might be a little obsessive, but there's no halfway.

Rather, I'd rather you taste a bit of my soul when you do that.

(ambient music) (air whooshes) - Something that's amazing about Atlanta is that there's these little pockets where you can experience any part of the world.

Momonoki is unique in that they have positioned themselves on the interstate, on I-75 and 85.

That's a pretty gutsy move and incredibly innovative.

- [Mia] So, it's like being Tokyo in the heart of Atlanta.

There's nothing like it.

- And so what they're bringing is this taste of Japan.

(relaxed music) And how cool is it that you can go to Tokyo right here?

I've been to Tokyo and this is such a similar way to eating.

It's, you know, affordable, which is, you know- - I'm surprised actually.

Like- - Revolutionary.

- you can, yeah, deliver this kind of, you know, this kind of food on that price point.

- In Japan, business class is the working class, and so that's what they're feeding right there in Midtown.

- [Mia] This is something that you could eat, like, on a daily basis and not break the bank.

- Right, that's- - And be healthy and fresh.

- [Taria] I mean, that's the revolution right there is that he's giving people, he's giving- - More accessibility.

- more accessibility.

And the authenticity of the food that they're serving?

They're not dumbing anything down.

They're teaching people how to eat Japanese food in a space that could have been risky.

So, he's kind of setting himself up to be the leader in the, I mean, this is gonna be really gutsy what I'm about to say, but I mean, he's leading the Japanese food movement in Atlanta.

They were pretty sure of themselves to make that move because the view is literally of the interstate.

(relaxed music) Fires spread fast and the bar scene is raging here, and bartender Tim Faulkner knows it best.

I think Tim Faulkner is one of the most innovative bartenders in Atlanta, specifically because it would be hard to spot his innovation.

What he stays true to is the craft of it and of the caretaking quality of tending bar.

(relaxed music) We barhopped to see what's new.

(lively music) We hit Cardinal, a bar that's part of the Third Street Goods Market in Grant Park, which gives this bar a speakeasy vibe.

(lively music) (lively music continues) The purpose of Cardinal was, again, two bartenders wanted to do it their way.

It's two women that own and run this, which is definitely, for Atlanta, I think that is pushing some boundaries.

- [Tim] I don't know of another one, to be honest with you.

- Yeah, - You, I'm not, it's been about seven years since I've heard of a female-owned bar.

- Yeah.

And what the women, the ladies at Cardinal have done is they opened a market, Third Street Goods, so that they could have access to the foods that they were accustomed to when they would work in restaurants.

They developed relationships to farmers and chefs that they wanted to be able to replicate.

Their passion, and the market is- - Like, I don't think they extricate.

You know, I think that, like, the two are inextricably tied together.

Like, the market and the bar.

- Yeah.

- It's the same mode for both, and the same inspiration for both.

- You can't have one without the other.

That's pretty much what it was is they wanted to tell their unique story, what was important to them.

Then there are places that aren't just doing it their way, but they're burning down those boundaries, those walls, those bridges.

They're creating a space that doesn't exist yet.

8ARM is a place that is constantly changing.

At the moment, the restaurant added a one-of-a-kind bar.

You won't find a drink menu here, just a bartender who will fashion the perfect cocktail.

(spirited music) Where the bartender, Joshua Fryer, is asking who you are so that he can now do what he loves to communicate that back to you.

- Taria, what kind of cocktail are you doing for?

- Well, I've been drinking for days, so, feeling light, I think refreshing.

It's relying on that relationship, you know, forcing that relationship to evolve.

- Right, and I think as far as Atlanta goes, this is, like, the pinnacle of curation, which is exactly what, when to go to a bar.

I wanna turn it off and check out and be taken care of, and this is exactly what happens here.

- And that's, you know, I'd like to say that it's scary, but once you get to that point, you're not even scared anymore.

You're just gonna do it because you know you can make it happen.

- This is what people should be striving for, to be honest with you.

- [Taria] It forces the relationship.

- Yeah, well, yeah, and, like, you know, the spontaneous creativity of it as well is magical.

- So, I would imagine a bartender or mixologist would have to be pretty confident as well.

- You shouldn't be behind a bar if you don't have confidence.

- A living food scene needs to be fed, and here's one man who's feeding it.

Chef Ron Hsu is incredibly humble.

He actually moves in a space that is so innovative that I don't think he knows he's there.

- He is, you know, the second generation of Asian chefs grown in Atlanta.

He left home to go to New York, worked with Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin, has beautiful technique.

It's a milestone for Atlanta to have that level of technique and that level of international sophistication.

- [Taria] He takes me to We Suki Suki, which brought cuisine from around the world to the artistic neighborhood of East Atlanta Village.

- [Quinn] We're not about being fancy; we're about being real.

- So Quinn opened this, and by her moving into that neighborhood, she was able to show other foods that you could eat that then you could afford, and after that, it's just blossomed.

It shifted the consciousness of the food scene in East Atlanta.

Chef Ron and I chat over banh mi.

You've taken a big risk opening the style of restaurant that you'd opened.

- I think taking risks is kind of something that's been, I was born with.

- He is so invested in showing Atlanta what is possible, that he does it with his humility because he doesn't actually know he's tearing down any walls.

- I think a tasting menu restaurant is pretty risky in any market, especially in Atlanta, being that historically, tasting menu restaurants haven't been very successful.

- Lazy Betty is a tasting menu restaurant that most people would've thought he should have opened in a different neighborhood.

- I think, you know, if someone's not there to push the needle, then no, it's never gonna progress, and it's not that Atlanta's, like, in the dark or, like, in the stone ages, but someone needs to be there, kinda pass the baton to the next generation and showcase what Atlanta really has.

- It's so important to him that this is available to the community, that he's not going to a neighborhood or a part of Atlanta that is exclusive.

He's put it smack in the middle of a family neighborhood on a very busy road next to a rock climbing gym, and he's saying, "See?

Everyone should be doing this."

(graceful music) Are you ever scared?

- Yeah, I'm still scared.

- Yes.

- Every day I'm scared, 'cause you know, like- - Yes.

- but that's what makes it rewarding, right?

If I knew it was gonna be successful, then everyone would be doing it- - And it would be easy.

- It would be easy.

I'm a big believer in impact over income and that's kind of why I was like, "You know what?

I'm just gonna go for it."

It's kind of instilled by my mother and just my belief that, what kind of impact can you make on a community?

- I really like that, "Impact over income."

I think there's a misconception that people have about chefs who cook a certain way that that's the food that they're always eating, and I don't think that's true.

We head to Gather, a market just south of downtown in Grant Park.

When Chef Ron Hsu and I went to go eat food that was inspiring to him, we met at a market where there was a popup, and even that was a surprise.

Wow.

- It's amazing, right?

- Yeah.

- Very good.

(poised music) (poised music continues) You know, now that we're kind of in this new age of cooking where you see all these, you know, these up-and-coming chefs doing popups, I find it so great 'cause I kind of equivalate popups to just being that struggling artist where you have a, you're trying to find a studio to portray your work and what better way to kind of push the envelope forward and give a voice to these chefs that don't have a voice yet.

- Right, yeah.

- Right?

(poised music) - The level of time, and thought, and innovation, and technique that chef Carla Fears was putting on the plate was unbelievable that it was coming, one, as a popup, and two, out of that small kitchen.

- Some of my staff now, they know how Lazy Betty started and that it was a popup, and now I have about three cooks on my staff that are doing popups too.

Well, they see Lazy Betty as that beacon of kind of, "Hey, they started off as a popup.

Maybe I can do it, and then I can find a audience that appreciates my food and I can kinda express myself in my food," and it's that little, like, ray of sunshine and hope that we put out there and it's all through these little popups, you know, and getting the community behind you and kind of pushing you forward, right?

- Mm-hmm, yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

(air whooshes) - If you're an innovator, you are already showing that you don't have any rules to go by.

That's real scary because there's nothing to say yes, no, good, bad.

All of that is torn down.

You're starting off with this completely blank canvas.

And to not have any rigid thoughts about something is a frightening thing.

That scares people and most people will choose the rules because it's easier.

Moving into cooking or making cocktails with no rules at all?

You're just listening to what needs to be done?

That's really risky.

(inspiring music) So, I've tasted Atlanta's innovation, I've experienced the fire, but what does it look like for these three to come together and cook it?

(bold music) To do this, I invited a friend to join me.

So, I'm watching two completely different style chefs work together.

(air whooshes) - I wanted to compose a dish that really reflected where I've come from, where I feel like I am now.

- Ron has worked at a very high level.

His mise en place was really elaborate and gorgeous.

- So, I thought the octopus with the Chinese fermented black bean was a very good representation of all those qualities.

- The octopus was marinated, charred, and served with that funky black bean sauce.

(bold music) (air whooshes) - And Mia, even though she did select the pieces of meat that would be the more, it was more of an immediate, as opposed to refined through a sensibility.

- I tend to gravitate to dishes that are comforting, like you would want, like you felt like you were hugged as you're eating it.

- [Taria] Her dish reflects the spicy heat of her Philippines.

- There was definitely a little more of the comfort food, the native food, the food from home.

It was a really interesting pairing to see Ron, who has very sophisticated technique and a really delicate, delicate taste, and the wonderfully, dare I say normal, the really beautiful international food that Mia just produced.

- [Taria] And Tim's cocktails unified these tastes of Atlanta we have traveled across.

- Tim, who is a really very perceptive bartender.

- Food is the picture, the drinks are the frame, and they should never be anything different.

- To have the pineapple juice that went with the coconut cream, so I thought it was a really interesting experiences.

(climactic music) (air whooshes) - In the end, we find a fire fueled by unrelenting passion to create and share something new.

I guess what innovators are getting out of this is that they believe it's possible.

(triumphant music) All of the rules make it so you can see what's possible.

As an innovator and you've removed all of those rules, what you're showing is that it's possible to achieve more than what you've been told.

And it's these up-and-coming innovators that continue to fan the flames of Atlanta.

(dramatic music)