Award-Winning Pastry Chef Claudia Martinez Lands at Steven Satterfield’s Atlanta Restaurant

Tiny Lou’s former pastry chef Claudia Martinez lands at Miller Union

Ryan Fleisher

Award-winning pastry chef Claudia Martinez left her position at Tiny Lou’s last fall and can now be found creating her decadent desserts for James Beard award-winning chef Steven Satterfield at Miller Union. As she did at Tiny Lou’s, expect Martinez to create desserts paying homage to her Venezuelan heritage. This includes a Venezuelan chocolate mousse, citrus-laced shortbread, and passionfruit and crème fraiche vanilla cake.

“Claudia brings fresh ideas and a true passion for creating unique menus to our team,” Satterfield says in a press release. “I have been a fan of hers for a while and cannot wait to see what she does with our menu.”

Martinez began her culinary career on the savory side of the kitchen, working for chef Linton Hopkins at Restaurant Eugene. She worked briefly at Atlas in Buckhead, before landing her prior position as pastry chef for Indigo Roads Restaurant Group, which once included Tiny Lou’s. Her departure from the restaurant, along with executive chef Jeb Aldrich, came after Hotel Clermont took over operations of Tiny Lou’s last fall. Martinez was named an Eater Young Gun in 2019 and was a James Beard semifinalist for “Outstanding Pastry Chef” in 2020. [Official]

Chef Maricela Vega departs 8ARM in mid-April

Ryan Fleisher

Nearly three years after becoming the executive chef of 8ARM, Maricela Vega departs the Poncey-Highland restaurant in mid-April. Vega announced her departure on Instagram, calling the decision “difficult” and saying 8ARM was “one of the most special establishments” in Atlanta.

After running Meso-American pop-up Chicomecóatl for two years, the 2018 Eater Award winner took over as executive chef at 8ARM in 2019. Along with chefs Yola Ksiazczykand and Duy Huynh, Vega infused the menu at 8ARM with many pre-Hispanic dishes and ingredients while also exploring the roots of Vietnamese cooking through Huynh and Polish cuisine through Ksiazczykand.

Vega is known throughout the Atlanta food and farming community for her unwavering dedication to sourcing local and sustainable ingredients for her food. Vega plans to carry on her family’s corn farming legacy in Mexico and hopes to eventually open her own tortilleria and masa shop in Atlanta. The store will sell her popular tamales and empanadas, include fresh produce from farmers, and make and distribute tortillas at fair prices, especially to underserved brown communities throughout metro Atlanta.

From March 17 until April 17, Vega will offer a menu comprising entirely of Mexican cuisine at 8ARM. Menus will likely change each week and reservations are highly encouraged. Masks required. [Official]

In other news...

Chef Deborah VanTrece (Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours) releases her new cookbook entitled “The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul Food with Global Flavors” (Rizzoli) on March 16. [Official]

Southern Belle and Georgia Boy reopen April 1 after a winter hiatus due to the pandemic. The restaurants at the Plaza on Ponce complex will offer both limited indoor dining and patio seating, beginning April 1. Reservations highly encouraged. Masks required. [IG]

Talat Market in Summerhill is preparing to offer on-street dining soon. Co-owner Parnass Savang tells Eater the restaurant will eventually offer tables on the sidewalk. A parklet is also in the works from the city for on-street dining in parking spaces in front of the building. Savang says he and partner Rod Lassiter plan to open for limited indoor dining soon, too. Talat Market is currently open for patio seating and takeout. [IG/EATL]

Instacart grocery delivery service now delivers alcohol in Georgia from 125 stores, including Publix, Kroger, ALDI, and the Fresh Market. The service plans to expand to other stores in the coming months, according to a press release. Home delivery of beer, wine, and liquor from restaurants, bars, convenience stores, some package and retail stores, and grocery stores became legal in Georgia last summer. [Official]

• Do Not Skip the Dessert Course at Tiny Lou’s [EATL]
• Chef Maricela Vega on Carrying on Her Family’s Legacy Through Masa [EATL]
• How 8ARM Chef Maricela Vega Creates Her Popular Tamales [EATL]
• Atlanta Finally Allows City Restaurants the Option to Offer On-Street Dining [EATL]