Innovator of the Year
It was a no-brainer for Chef Matt Cohen, owner of the New South Pub, to move his restaurant from its old location on Skidaway Road in Savannah to its new location in Pooler’s Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.
“When the opportunity presented itself, I immediately knew this would be a good move for us,” says Chef Cohen. “It is a wonderful opportunity, and we are glad to be working with the Mighty Eighth - feeding museum guests, visitors and the people who live and work in Pooler.”
On Nov. 9, 2008, Cohen achieved another milestone in his culinary career when he was named Innovator of the Year at the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Crystal Excellence Awards, a black tie Gala held at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead.
Though Cohen is highly touted as a local favorite and pallet pleaser, his innovative contribution to the greater Savannah area restaurant industry, and economy, is his creation of the Coastal Catering Alliance (CCA).
Cohen, a firm believer in uniting fellow restaurant owners and chefs, felt that as professionals there needed to be a way for vendors who are licensed and insured to be able to compete for the catering bids of big events that come to Savannah each year.
According to Cohen, many big events that pass through the Savannah area are catered by companies from other regions. The CCA was formed in hopes of a new culinary experience, featuring authentic southern food, while stimulating the local economy.
“As locals, paying local taxes, we think we should be given the opportunity to compete for the catering jobs at these events,” said Cohen. “The South is all about hospitality and its food. We can give these events the authentic flavors and finest foods our region has to offer.”
The Grace Awards Gala is the only event of its kind. Stars of the restaurant industry gather to pay tribute to their own and exclusively honor those who have made exemplary contributions to Georgia’s prolific restaurant industry. Cohen is the first chef in the history of the GRACE awards to win the esteemed title of Innovator of the Year.
The CCA is made up of several different restaurateurs, chefs and catering companies capable of serving large scale events. Last fall, the group put on an event at Forsyth Park that put over $150,000 into the local economy. Without the founding of the CCA, Cohen says the monies, as in years passed, might have went somewhere outside the local economy.
“We are all companies competing in the same market,” says Cohen. “The CCA was formed to service large scale events, and we have come together as a group to serve up to 30,000 people. It’s all about putting on a great event and serving “actual” authentic Southern food. The camaraderie between CCA members will fuel the future trend of cooperation.”
It was at an early age Cohen got his taste for pleasing those around him. When he was just five years old, he recalls his grandfather coming to Savannah to visit. “Everyday at five o’clock in the afternoon, I would serve my grandfather Scotch on the rocks, and a bowl of peanuts,” he recalled. He would also make a menu for the following morning from which his grandfather ordered. “Then I would cook him eggs and bacon, and he would leave me a tip of five dollars. Knowing I could make someone happy by serving them good food made me happy.”
Cohen would eventually attend the University of Georgia where he played football for a season on the practice squad. “We would get really banged up out there,” remembered Cohen. “We were always practicing against the first team offense, so we were always pretty banged up.”
Though he enjoyed his tenure with the Bulldogs, Cohen eventually decided he wanted to pursue his lifelong dream of working in the culinary arts, so he began learning to cook steaks at a local Western Sizzlin. He would eventually go on to graduate from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. From there, he went on to work for Pano Karatassos and the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in Atlanta before moving back to his native Savannah.
In 2000, Sandy Hollander - Pirates House and 45 South, took Cohen under his wing and Cohen gained even more valuable insight to the culinary business. “I am thankful to the many great people that I have worked for a long the way,” says Cohen. “They’ve played a big part in my evolution as a chef.”
In 2006, Cohen opened his first restaurant, New South Café, on Skidaway Drive in Savannah. It was there, Cohen quickly became widely known for giving his customers a unique culinary experience. “We serve dishes you’ve been eating your whole life, but have yet to really taste,” says Cohen.
It’s a true love for Cohen, and his passion carries over into the other aspects of doing business while striving to grow as a person and a leader. “I analyze everything I do everyday…my actions and my words,” he explained. “My job as a leader is to figure out how to help my employees grow and progress too. I want everyone to be the best they can be.”
The hours Cohen puts into his restaurant and with the CCA each week go well over the 50-hour mark, yet he still finds time to lend his hand in other capacities in his community as well.
A Teacher By Nature
Cohen is also an associate instructor at Savannah Technical institute where he teaches Principles of Cooking 101 every week, but he has also found time to teach outside the kitchen. He also coaches sixth, seventh and eighth grade boys basketball at Ram Bam Day School in Savannah as well. “I love seeing the light bulb go off in people’s heads,” says Cohen. “Whether it’s cooking or basketball, if I can help someone else succeed that makes me feel good.”
In 2008, Chef Matt Cohen achieved many milestones. From moving his restaurant to starting the Coastal Catering Alliance, and his award as Innovator of the Year. Cohen is on pace to make a difference in our communities - from the local economy to providing good ’ole southern comfort food, not to mention, he has recently been asked to serve on the Board for the Georgia Restaurant Association. Cohen is sure to please the pallets of many while striving to keep the spirit of Southern hospitality alive. “It’s been a productive year for us, and we are looking forward to what 2009 has in store,” Cohen concluded.
Chef Matt Cohen’s New South Pub at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is now open exclusively for lunch seven days a week from 11am to 2pm, serving his most popular dishes from The New South Cafe Express Bar, with plans to open for dinner in January. Chef Matt offers upscale catering services for corporate events, conventions, executive lunches, private parties, weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs.
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