Tuohy To Open Woodfire Grill In Late Summer

Chef Michael Tuohy, former owner and chef of Chefs' Cafi, Chefs' Grill and Ocean Club, will open Woodfire Grill, a restaurant featuring true Northern California cuisine. After several years of cooking in restaurants around Atlanta and the Southeast, he has recently taken over the space occupied by Mara's Seafood Grill for the past 20 years.


After extensive renovations he will open Woodfire Grill, a seasonally-influenced, ingredient-focused restaurant, featuring a daily changing menu with fresh organic cuisine. The design will feature a wine country sensibility set off by a warm, rustic and comfortable neighborhood feel. Woodfire Grill will serve sophisticated fire-roasted and grilled foods at a moderate price. Located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Woodfire Grill will have about 150 seats and is set to open in late summer.


"Woodfire Grill will be the restaurant that I have always wanted to do, simply prepared cuisine, in a comfortable neighborhood setting," said Tuohy.


A pioneering force behind the Georgia's Organic Growers, Tuohy will incorporate the seasonal offerings of small farms and purveyors as well as organic beef, lamb, pork and poultry for simply prepared cuisine. His Northern California roots will also be seen in Woodfire Grill's extensive seafood selection.

Plans include the "Front Room," complete with a fireplace, communal table, wood-burning oven and a "small plates" menu. There will be an extensive wine list including 20 to 30 wines by the glass. And there will be a focus on cheese including a custom-made cheese aging room, featuring Artisanal and Farmstead Cheeses, including a daily selection of approximately six to 10 cheeses.


The restaurant will also have patio dining; "the loft," a private room upstairs; and three private rooms downstairs that can be incorporated into one large space.


Tuohy was among the seminal seasonal ingredient-focused chefs of the late '80s. Both diners and critics alike embraced his Chefs' Cafi and the following Chefs' Grill and Ocean Club. Their closings were a major blow to the city, but the chef has been entertaining palates at stints in kitchens around Atlanta leaving fans eagerly awaiting his next move.


Woodfire Grill aims to be open dinner only, six nights, closed only on Sundays because purveyors do not deliver on Sundays.