If you’ve ever been to Atlanta, there is a good chance that you’ve eaten at one of Chef Linton Hopkins’ restaurants. The internationally acclaimed chef is also the owner of Resurgens Hospitality Group, which includes several famed restaurants including Restaurant Eugene, Holeman and Finch Public House, Holeman and Finch Bottle Shop, H&F Burger, Hop's Chicken and C. Ellet's.
Hopkins’ passion for southern fare is evident in the menus of each restaurant he owns. His love affair with great southern food began well before he became a chef though. Hopkins started cooking by his mom’s side at the age of 5-years-old. His taste buds advanced rapidly and soon drove him to learn to cook what he liked to eat on his own.
“I really wanted hollandaise for breakfast all the time as a kid and my mother wouldn’t go through the trouble of making it for me, so I learned to cook it for myself,” says Hopkins. My mother bought me a copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the rest is history.”
From hollandaise sauce to his favorite Georgia peach smoked bacon and Vidalia onion buttermilk dressing, Hopkins’ love for ingredients and people has fueled the chef’s delicious dishes for years.
Representing the south and using local ingredients is important to Chef Linton, so much so that even the water he uses has southern origins.
“I believe that water, especially mineral water is a foundational role in the culinary experience. We even use Mountain Valley for cooking. Proper mineral water and a glass of wine is complementary to the meal. [It is] Indispensable to me,” he says.
Much like his affinity for food, Linton’s relationship with Mountain Valley dates back to his childhood as well. He first discovered Mountain Valley Water when he saw our big green bottles in his grandfather Eugene Holeman’s fridge. “Mountain Valley is the water of my youth. I have literally been drinking it for 50+ years.”
Linton has accomplished a lot in his illustrious career, but he’s nowhere near done. He plans on writing a book and opening more restaurants in the future. We personally can’t wait to see—and eat—what Chef Hopkins has in store!
If you ever find yourself in the Atlanta area visit one of Chef Linton’s restaurants. You will not be disappointed.