Featured Chefs

Craig Richards

Featured Chefs

Craig Richards
La Tavola TrattoriaAtlanta, GA
Pear and Squash Bruschetta Pear and Squash Bruschetta
Chef Craig Richards was born with an eye for design, leading him originally onto a graphic design career path. But it wasn’t long until Richards found his true calling, transferring his talents from the computer to the kitchen. For the past ten years, he’s honed his artistic skills in the culinary world. Richards is executive chef at La Tavola Trattoria in Atlanta, Ga., a neighborhood Italian favorite from Fifth Group Restaurants. He came to La Tavola in 2005, after several years of training under the renowned first lady of Italian cuisine, Lidia Bastianich, who provided Richards with invaluable knowledge of the Italian-American kitchen. “Pears are used a lot in Italian cooking and we work with them in several different ways in the fall,” says Richards. “We use Bartlett and Bosc pears primarily. The Bosc pears are crunchier and great in an arugula salad, or poached in red wine and stuffed with mascarpone cheese for dessert. Bartletts are softer and a little sweeter, and we’re featuring them now in a beet salad with fennel and pistachios.”
Recipes