Former One Flew South chef Duane Nutter and restaurateur Reginald “Reggie” Washington are bringing a second location of their Mobile, Alabama, restaurant Southern National to Atlanta’s Summerhill neighborhood.

Last November, the pair announced plans to open a restaurant in the neighborhood’s burgeoning dining district along Georgia Avenue, but had yet to disclose its name.

“We both love Atlanta. The decision to open Southern National in Atlanta was made because it seemed like a natural progression for us and came about organically,” Washington says. He points to the history of Summerhill as a “significant factor in the decision” to open the restaurant in the community.

For Nutter and Washington, they see Southern National as part of the “next chapter” in the history of Summerhill, a neighborhood founded by former enslaved people in 1865, many of whom went on to open successful businesses here. It would later become home to the majority of the city’s Jewish population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Beyond opening Southern National, the partners say they are committed to giving back to the neighborhood, including hiring Summerhill residents to work at the restaurant and creating a community garden to help provide fresh produce for area residents experiencing food insecurity.

72 Georgia Avenue, Atlanta
southernational.com

By Beth McKibben, Eater Atlanta
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