Georgia Restaurants Going Smoke Free Summer 2005

GEORGIA RESTAURANTS GOING SMOKE FREE SUMMER 2005
Atlanta Chef Speaks Out in Favor of Pending Smoking Legislation

Atlanta, GA (March 28, 2005) - Chef Michael Tuohy's restaurant, Woodfire Grill, is filled with smoke every night. The smoke is coming from a gigantic wood-fired roasting pit in the center of his dining room - not from cigarette smoke. Woodfire Grill has proudly been smoke-free since opening its doors in August of 2002. It is no wonder that Chef Tuohy did not succumb to the pressure other Atlanta restaurateurs have felt in recent years to oppose smoking ban legislation - he spent his formidable years in the kitchens of San Francisco (In January of this year, San Francisco took the most aggressive anti-smoking stance to date when city legislators voted 8 to 3 to ban smoking in public parks, making it the first major U.S. city to embrace such an expansive ban on tobacco use). "I am concerned for the general health of my customers. Filling 5,000 square feet of enclosed space full of cigarette smoke creates an obviously unhealthy and unsanitary environment. In my business, it is important that guests have the capacity to dine uninterrupted, not to mention unaffected by sensory deprivation factors such as tobacco smoke," laments Tuohy.

A revised version of Georgia Senate Bill 90 passed the Health and Human Services Committee of the Georgia House of Representatives on March 15 after much debate. The most significant impact on the restaurant industry is that the bill outlaws smoking in restaurants and bars, but exempts all bars and restaurants that require patrons to be at least 18 to enter. The bill will now go to the House floor for a vote.

Chef Michael Tuohy, along with longtime "green" partners Southface Energy Institute, Natural Body Day Spas, Whole Foods Market and Georgia Organics, has been instrumental in educating Atlantans about living more healthy lifestyles. A native of Northern California, in Atlanta since 1986, Chef Michael Tuohy spent his formidable culinary years under acclaimed Chef Joyce Goldstein in San Francisco. Woodfire Grill proudly opened smoke-free in August 2002 and features daily changing food and wine menus serving primarily local, organic and seasonal produce, as well as artisan cheeses, meats and eco-conscious seafood from around the country. Chef Tuohy's Woodfire Grill has been featured in Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, Gourmet and Bon Appitit. Woodfire Grill is located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, Georgia. Phone 404-347-9055; www.woodfiregrill.com