Gerry Klaskala has been one of Atlanta’s most celebrated chefs for decades. He’s been the creative force behind such restaurants as Canoe and Buckhead’s Aria. Now, after 25 years at Aria’s helm, he’s trading his chef’s whites for a paintbrush.
“It’s time,” the chef and restaurateur said. “It’s been a great, great ride. I’m satisfied.”
Klaskala studied art before enrolling at The Culinary Institute of America, according to a statement from Melissa Libby & Associates.
Though food became his life’s work, he never lost the urge to create on canvas. Retirement, he said, is his opportunity to finally return to that passion.
“For me, art is a way to get lost in my thoughts and ideas,” he said. “Cooking for a living requires focus and concentration. Now I’ll have the time to explore my other interests. For so long, I felt like I couldn’t step away without compromising the restaurant — I even felt guilty just sitting down to read a book. Now, I finally have that freedom.”
Klaskala and co-owners Ron San Martin and George McKerrow are turning Aria ownership over to general manager Andrés Loaiza. A national search is underway to find the next chef to carry Aria’s legacy forward.
Aria has been consistently recognized for excellence since its opening on East Paces Ferry Road in March 2000.
In 2024, Aria was named a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality. The restaurant received the same recognition in 2017.
Among other honors, Wine Spectator recognized Aria with the Best of Award of Excellence, Thirllist said they are one of Atlanta’s Nine Most Romantic Restaurants, and Zagat voted them as having the Best Restaurant Decor, said they are one of the overall Best Restaurants in Atlanta, and that they have one of the 10 Hottest Tasting Menus in the city.
“I love this place Gerry created, and I love what we do here, Loaiza said in the statement. “The regulars know and trust me. Aria will continue to live and breathe according to Gerry’s standards. This transition allows us to evolve and begin the next chapter.”
In 1987, when Klaskala was living in Savannah, restaurateur Pano Karatassos persuaded him to move to Atlanta to become an opening chef and managing partner of Buckhead Diner, according to the statement.
The chef also launched the restaurant Canoe in 1995.
Klaskala said his next act, art, opens up new avenues of creativity and relaxation.
“My plans aren’t grandiose,” he said. “And not with any purpose other than to just do it.”
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