Todd Richards, Culinary Director for Jackmont Hospitality, mastered his culinary skills studying under some of the industry’s most renowned chefs, including Chef Darryl E. Evans, and working in many well-respected restaurants including the Four Seasons Hotel, Spice Restaurant, Villa Christina, Blue Ribbon Grill, Rolling Bones, White Oak Kitchen & COcktails, The Pig & The Pearl, The Shed at Glenwood, The Ritz Carlton, Richards’ Southern Fried and Jackmont’s own One Flew South. As the opening, Corporate Chef for One Flew South, located in the international terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Richards lead the esteemed team that propelled One Flew South to become the first airport restaurant in the U.S. to be a contender for the prestigious James Beard Award. Now returning to the Jackmont fold, Richards oversees the development of Jackmont’s chef-driven restaurant concepts including One Flew South and Chicken + Beer (owned in partnership with Ludacris and also located in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport). Richards continues to use cutting-edge techniques that inspire an open dialogue about the rich history and future of American Southern food. Richards states, “I look at each plate as a canvas: it is very important that each guest perceives the craftsmanship, ingenuity and time put into every recipe and every plate.” Last year, Chef Todd Richards made his debut in the literary world, publishing his first cookbook Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes. Richards holds a membership with the Southern Foodways Alliance and has been invited to cook for the James Beard House, a foundation in which he is a member as well.