Longtime Buckhead Life Restaurant Group Chef, Gary Donlick, has been hand selected to head the kitchen of the newest BLRG restaurant, Bistro Niko. Donlick’s two decades of experience in the kitchen, classic French training and passion for time-honored cooking techniques make him the perfect selection for the creative bistro menu at Bistro Niko.

See what Esquire’s John Mariani had to say about Bistro Niko!

Nava opened on May 10, 1995 in Buckhead Plaza. The upscale Southwestern cuisine is a collage of seafood,
meat, and game dishes with Latin and Native Americaninfluences and ingredients indigenous to the South and
Southwest.

Delesandro joined the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in Atlanta in 2005 as Chef de Cuisine at Nava, an up and coming Southwestern concept. For nearly two years Delesandro learned the intricacies of Mexican meals and developed a flare for combining unusual ingredients that give Nava’s specials a exceptional depth of flavor.
Then for two years Delesandro worked with Executive Chef Doug Turbush of Bluepointe, the restaurant group’s Asian-influenced Continental concept. Again, he found a great teacher and enjoyed experimenting with a new set of spices and cooking methods that are related to Asian-fusion cooking.
Recently Delesandro has rejoined the kitchen at Nava, this time using his knowledge and experience to teach his chefs about the intricacies of Southwestern flavor profiles and cooking techniques.

Chef Piero Premoli joined Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in 2001 as a corporate consultant, working with the company’s Italian and Greek concepts. A native of Milan, Italy, Piero has been surrounded by fine food his entire life. His passion and attention to detail have made great contributions to each restaurant where he has worked.

In 1995 Atlanta warmly welcomed the opening of Nava, an upscale Southwestern restaurant from Buckhead Life Restaurant Group.  Since, the restaurant has continued to win top restaurant honors locally and nationally.
Nava’s innovative menu is a collage of seafood, meat, and game dishes with Latin and Native American influences, and ingredients indigenous to the South and Southwest.

Atlanta – June 14, 2006 – A delegation of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, an esteemed Italian Cultural Institution dedicated to preserving authentic Italian cuisine around the world, has presented Executive Chef Piero Premoli and his culinary team at Pricci with a high honor: the organization’s Recognition of Excellence. 
Premoli is the first chef in Atlanta to earn the honor from the institute, which was founded in 1953 upon the philosophy of commitment and research for the protection of Italian cuisine and traditions. The Accademia states its objective as “safeguarding the culture and civilization in our country, promoting and favoring their diffusion in Italy and abroad, underlining the force of tradition understood as a dynamic element.”

Having topped Esquire Magazine’s list of America’s Best New Restaurants of 1992, acclaimed restaurant critic John Mariani called Pricci “... a dazzlingly modern, very hip Italian restaurant” which is “jammed with a well-dressed crowd that happily waits at the bar to check one another out.”  Previously, the formal and highly acclaimed Capriccio located at the corner of Pharr Road and Maple Drive in Buckhead, Pricci is the creation of Atlanta restaurateur Pano Karatassos,  as well as California architect/designer Patrick Kuleto.  Originally planned as a minor renovation, the $2 million transformation was affectionately referred to as “redecorating” by president/co-owner Pano Karatassos.

Veni Vidi Vici

Veni Vidi Vici made its debut in March of 1993.  And through Veni Vidi Vici, Buckhead Life Restaurant Group made company history by opening a restaurant outside of Buckhead for the first time, and also for purchasing an existing restaurant to make its own personal mark and style. 
The menu offers authentic, rustic Italian cuisine, featuring custom-designed “Antipasti Piccoli”, which are small Italian-style appetizers.  The daily specialties encourage guests to share and experience an extensive list of different and exciting new flavors, which are not generally found in Italian restaurants in this country.

From a very young age, Jamie Adams was intrigued by everything from Italy, from its cars to its language, from its people to its food. So it is not surprising that he has become one of Atlanta’s most talented chefs specializing in Italian cuisine.
Upon returning to Atlanta from a stint in Italy, Jamie joined the prestigious Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (BLRG). After training at The Fish Market in Lenox Square, he opened Pricci in 1991 as the Sous Chef. In 1993 he became the Executive Chef at Veni Vidi Vici when the BLRG purchased it from its first owner, the world famous Marcella Hazan. Veni Vidi Vici, located in Atlanta’s theater and Midtown business district, is a popular trattoria with a relaxed, convivial setting, reasonable prices, and fun, quality food.