Dan Tederous

Executive Chef

         As the new Executive Chef at Chops Lobster Bar, Dan Tederous has fulfilled one of his longtime goals. Since he first took a job with Buckhead Life Restaurant Group’s Nava in 1996, Tederous has been working towards his dream job as Executive Chef of this iconic Atlanta restaurant.

        Born into a family of foodies, the Buffalo, New York-turned-Georgia native has had a knack for cooking since childhood. Tederous’ two grandmothers, one Polish and one Lebanese, taught him the basics in the kitchen, while his Uncle Jimmy, the first professional chef he was close to, introduced him to French pastry making. In addition to his very diverse culinary foundation, Tederous enjoyed a close relationship with his father, who always encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

        His first restaurant job was as a dishwasher at Ernie’s, a casual steakhouse in Atlanta. In the years following, Tederous worked in various restaurants while attending college at the University of Georgia in Athens. After college he moved back to Atlanta where he worked at a number of restaurants including La Strada, as well as Buckhead Life’s Pricci and Nava. Tederous’ family continued to offer their love and support as he worked his way up from restaurant to restaurant.

        Tederous says that his favorite thing about being in the kitchen is the ability to work as a team with the kitchen staff and create great food while continuing to grow his culinary knowledge. While at Nava, Tederous had the privilege of working with Kevin Rathbun, Doug Turbush, and Brian Krellenstein. Turbush and Tederous were line cooks together, and have been great friends ever since. During the several years they worked together, Rathbun shared not only his kitchen with Tederous, but also a wealth of knowledge about different regional foods. Tederous said that Rathbun made the kitchen fun and exciting, and remains the biggest influence on his career today.

        In 2006, Tederous moved from Atlanta to Florida. He most recently worked at The Capital Grill in Tampa where he was the Executive Chef, Partner. Tederous reiterates a piece of advice he once received, stating that having consistent, good quality food and educated employees will always make your restaurant successful.

        "While working at The Capital Grille,” he said, “I learned the importance of keeping fresh products on hand and having the entire staff trained on proper rotation and organization of the kitchen.” Tederous also said that one of the perks ofliving in Florida was that he had the opportunity to work with great seafood right off the boats from the Gulf of Mexico.

       Because of his steakhouse pedigree, Tederous has become a hot commodity behind the grill. “Being a chef at a steakhouse is unique because you are serving products that are very high end,” he said. And his passion for his craft is evident. “Skill set is very important; the right amount of seasoning and the right amount of char makes a great steak, and the seafood must be seasoned correctly, seared beautifully and cooked to perfection.”

       Upon his recent move to Atlanta, Tederous had his wife Rachel, young daughter Layna and Shelby, the family’s golden retriever, by his side. Although they have called Tampa home for the past five years, both Dan and Rachel are excited to be back in Atlanta.

       In taking the position as Executive Chef at Chops, Tederous is excited to, once again, be in the company of Pano Karatassos and the entire Buckhead Life family.  His goals are to carry on Chop’s outstanding level of food service and to continue bringing the restaurant local and national notoriety using his solid work ethic and culinary experiences. His ultimate goal is to make Chops the premier fine dining establishment in Atlanta, and has said that once you have the entire staff on the same mind set about the quality and presentation of the food, the restaurant will have the feel that is needed to execute at a the highest level.

      In his free time, Dan enjoys spending time with is wife and daughter, listening to music and cooking meals at home.