Shaun's
Shaun Doty
Why did you choose Inman Park?
I have a little son. At the time he was two but now he is five. I was not slowing down but I was looking to get into more of a neighborhood groove. So I had been in sort of high profile in-town projects for a while but I hadn’t had something that was close to my heart which was more like a bistro so when I saw the space and in light of having a little boy and wanting to create more a traditional chef lifestyle so I thought I’ll buy a house in Inman Park and I’ll get a restaurant in Inman Park.
So this is your home?
My home is literally on the other side of the Marta station so even when I’m drinking I can make it home in two minutes so no DUIs for me.
What makes Shaun’s so special to you?
It’s kind of like every chef’s dream. You want to have a small place and you want to make everything and you want to know your customers and you want to be a part of the neighborhood and, in this case, I’m in Inman Park, one of the most amazing neighborhoods in Atlanta.
Inman Park is very hot right now, with new restaurants steadily popping up and you kind of pre-dated that so did you see the vision?
Actually Inman Park had already become established with guys like Ricardo Ullio at Sotto Sotto and then Kevin at Rathbun’s so those guys definitely were trailblazers and also helped to establish this as a dining neighborhood of very high quality restaurants. There’s no doubt that everything south of Memorial, the Fourth Ward, has become very trendy now and it’s exciting to see this neighborhood really get the credit and high quality restaurants that it’s always deserved. I can’t really credit myself for that.
What is up with the Mississippi Tupelo honey ice cream black rice pudding dish?
It’s fun . . . it’s a Malaysian style rice dish [the rice is actually a whole grain black rice] and I put this Southern Tupelo honey ice cream with it so you have a multicultural dining experience here. I’m inspired by the cuisines of the world but obviously I try to use a lot of the products and things you find in the South because that’s just the right thing to do when you live in the South.
