Press
media inquiries: Sandy Toledo: sandy@foundationatl.com
Close to 200 Restaurants Opened Around Atlanta Since January
Alpharetta: Foundation Social Eatery reopened in its new location in downtown Alpharetta.
13 New Bars for Cocktails in Atlanta
As much as chef Mel Toledo’s restaurant is known for its food, Foundation Social Eatery is equally known for its cocktails, especially takes on the classics. Look for drinks like the Ghosted made with bourbon, lemon and a float of cabernet sauvignon. It’s a spin on a whiskey sour using a technique to create clarified milk punches. The London dry gin-based Little R&R is a play on the Clover Club featuring raspberry syrup mixed with rosemary, dry vermouth, and lemon loomy (dried limes). Like the boozy cocktails on the menu, non-alcoholic options aren’t an afterthought, including drinks like the Grey made with Earl Grey tea mixed with oleo saccharum, egg white, tonic, and thyme.
Foundation Social Eatery now open in Alpharetta
The local staple will reintroduce itself – in a new neighborhood – with a menu featuring highlights like caviar service, burrata with sunchoke, black truffle, hazelnut gremolata, watercress, sunchoke chip & veal jus and scallop crudo with warm brown butter vinaigrette, parsley & capers, plus carbonara gnocchi with FSE bacon, poached egg, lardo, garlic bread crumb and veal jus and leek dusted flounder with gigante bean, melted leek, olive, tomato, rock shrimp, tarragon, caviar and beurre blanc. Favorites like mushroom ravioli, confit pork ribs and chicken bolognese remain, too – a celebration of the past & embracement of the present. The bar program will complement the cuisine, brimming with hand-curated wines, seasonal cocktails & local + regional brews.
Now Reopened in Alpharetta, Foundation Social Eatery Makes Its Triumphant Return
After closing in Roswell two years ago, Foundation Social Eatery finally returns to the dining scene, reopening Friday, December 9, in downtown Alpharetta.
“I’ve been out of the kitchen for about two years. And I will say there has been a bit of pressure to come back better than before,” chef Mel Toledo says of reopening his restaurant. “But after the soft opening and friends and family nights, I’m feeling confident we are going to do extremely well.”He credits his team of chefs, including longtime chef de cuisine David Williams, and operating partner Nick Hassiotis for sticking by him over the last two years during construction and embracing his vision for the restaurant at its new Alpharetta location.
Toledo first announced the closure of Foundation Social Eatery in 2020. Its closure came as a shock to regulars, many of whom had been dining at the restaurant since it opened on Holcomb Bridge Road in 2014. But Toledo promised he was searching for a new spot to reopen Foundation Social Eatery. Five months later, in May 2021, Toledo found it on Roswell Street in downtown Alpharetta.
The Alpharetta location features a similar layout to the Roswell restaurant, and even includes a few familiar design elements from the former location Toledo kept and stored.
“We wanted to give that same familiar feeling of the other restaurant to our regulars, but with higher end finishings. It’s much more refined,” Toledo says of the design by ai3. “But those things we kept from the old restaurant location bring in that sense of familiarity. That was very important to us.”
With seating for up to 160 people and two patios, one of which is covered, the physical footprint of Foundation Social Eatery expands in Alpharetta. The patio spaces were key to the decision to open in this location, Toledo says, to capture foot traffic in the suburban city’s now bustling downtown dining district. The covered patio offers table seating for the restaurant, while a second patio features lounge seating for people waiting for a table or who want to grab drinks and hang out.
Foundation Social Eatery reopening this week in Alpharetta
Foundation Social Eatery is reopening this week, nearly three years after closing its original location in Roswell.
The eatery, from chef/owner Mel Toledo, his wife, Sandy, and operating partner Nick Hassiotis, is set to open Dec. 9 at 55 Roswell St. in Alpharetta.
The menu will feature new dishes including burrata with sunchoke, black truffle, hazelnut gremolata, watercress, sunchoke chip and veal jus; and leek-dusted flounder with gigante bean, melted leek, olive, tomato, rock shrimp, tarragon, caviar and beurre blanc.
Foundation Social Eatery reemerges in Alpharetta, 2 years after shuttering in Roswell
Chef Mel Toledo’s original restaurant Foundation Social Eatery is rising from the ashes one suburb over. The fine dining establishment closed in Roswell on December 31, 2020, after the lease ended. Toledo and wife Sandy, along with operating partner Nick Hassiotis, had a new location in Halcyon picked out, but decided against it due to the pandemic-induced economic instability. Two years later, the Foundation Social Eatery team has a new space—55 Roswell Street—in Alpharetta. It is slated to open the first week of December with an adjacent Parisian-style café called Petite FSE to follow in January 2023.
Eater Atlanta- After Closing Last December, a Roswell Restaurant Finds Its New Home in Neighboring Alpharetta
Chef Mel Toledo reopens Foundation Social Eatery next year and the restaurant includes a Parisian-style shop serving grab-and-go food and charcuterie
After closing Foundation Social Eatery in Roswell last December, chef Mel Toledo reopens the restaurant early next year in downtown Alpharetta. And the new location will include a Parisian-style shop serving grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, charcuterie, and coffee drinks, according to the AJC.
Once open on Roswell Street, Foundation Social Eatery will serve dinner and weekend brunch and seat 115 people inside between the dining room and a 22-seat bar. A patio in the back of the building will offer seating for up to 50 people.
Toledo’s menu in Alpharetta should feature new dishes as well as a selection of dishes from the Roswell location, including the octopus, pork ribs, and ravioli and chicken Bolognese. Expect cocktails, beer, and wine from the bar.
Located in front of Foundation Social Eatery, Petit FSE will be open from lunch into the early evening selling fresh-made breads and pastas from the restaurant and serving grab-and-go foods, charcuterie, and coffee and coffee drinks.
Toledo had always intended to reopen Foundation Social Eatery after closing the restaurant on Holcomb Bridge Road in east Roswell at the end of last year. The chef had been searching for a new location prior to the pandemic and continuously extended the lease on the restaurant past its original expiration date last March through December 2020.
By: Beth McKibben May 27, 2021
Fox5 Atlanta - Roswell restaurants celebrated during delicious week
This year’s Roswell Restaurant Week runs from January 22nd to January 31st, and is presented by the city’s economic development organization, Roswell Inc. The goal of the event is to promote Roswell’s thriving restaurant community and includes more than 30 Roswell eateries serving up special prix fixe menus showcasing what they do best. Participating restaurants include Foundation Social Eatery, Taqueria Tsunami, di Paolo and more -- the full list is available on the Roswell Restaurant Week website, on which diners can search by meal (lunch, dinner, or all-day) and by price range.
Read more here.
Creative Loafing - Quick Bites
Diners have a little bit of say-so in the ambiance at Roswell's Foundation Social Eatery.
Diners have a little bit of say-so in the ambiance at Roswell's Foundation Social Eatery, at least on Tuesdays. The restaurant has just introduced Vinyl Tuesdays, where guests are encouraged to either bring their own albums or choose from chef Mel Toledo's collection to spin while eating and drinking.
Read more here.
Garden & Gun - How the South Does Sous Vide
Immersion cooking has long been a staple in restaurant kitchens. Now, it’s easier than ever to do at home—and it’s the perfect technique for hot, steamy summer days. Here, eight Southern chefs share their favorite ways to sous vide.
Immersion cooking has long been a staple in restaurant kitchens. Now, it’s easier than ever to do at home—and it’s the perfect technique for hot, steamy summer days. Here, eight Southern chefs share their favorite ways to sous vide.
Keep green vegetables bright, vibrant green
“We’ve started using sous vide more often for cooking vegetables because it not only cooks them perfectly, but also keeps green veggies bright and vibrant and white vegetables stunningly white. Our method: We simply toss the produce with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs, place them in a bag, and cook them in a water bath with a circulator. And, voila—perfect cooked veggies.”
—Mel Toledo, executive chef
By Dacey Orr Sivewright- August 16, 2018
Read more here.
AJC - Out of this world ways to celebrate Star Wars Day in metro Atlanta
Break out your light sabers -- tomorrow is May 4, otherwise known in this galaxy as Star Wars Day. Celebrate the franchise with one of these metro Atlanta events.
Foundation Social Eatery. The restaurant's chef and owner Mel Toledo is a big "Star Wars" fan and is celebrating May 4 with a "May the Forks Be With You" promotion featuring themed cocktails and special dishes like the Boba Fett-(uccini) and Yoda Crème vanilla pot de crème alongside the regular dinner menu from 5- 10:30 p.m. while Chef Vader prepares meals in the Foundation's open kitchen. Guests who dine in costume or their favorite Star Wars garb will receive a complimentary canelé for dessert.
By Yvonne Zusel
Read more here.
Zagat - The 14 Sexiest Vegetarian Dishes in Atlanta
NO MEAT DOESN'T MEAN NO EXCITEMENT THANKS TO THESE TANTALIZING PLATES
There's that disheartening moment at a restaurant when you're looking for something vegetarian and the server says, "Well...we could maybe put some sides together for you." But Atlanta's top spots have started upping the game for guests who don't eat meat. Whether you just go veg on #MeatlessMonday or it's a full-time way of life, these thoughtful, satisfying dishes are worth seeking out.
Vegetarian sugo at Foundation Social Eatery
Chef Mel Toledo's Roswell gem serves up a rich pasta made with a beef short-rib sugo. Ask for the vegetarian version, though, and the kitchen leaves out the beef and ups the mushrooms, roasted cauliflower and other veggies atop a housemade cavatelli pasta, with a roasted garlic butter and black truffle vinaigrette to add more richness. There's grana padano cheese grated over it, but that can be left off to make the dish vegan, as this pasta's made without eggs.
By Christopher Hassiotis
Read more here.
Huffington Post - Eating Outside The City Limits: Foundation Social Eatery
If you like quality ingredients that are used thoughtfully, a great atmosphere, and great service, this is the place for you. Let us know when you are making reservations and we just might join you.
HIMHERANDAFORK.COM
The best way to sum up Foundation Social Eatery is fine dining without the stuffiness that may be expected in a fine dining establishment. The restaurant name does include the word “Social” after all, and it’s the perfect place to be just that. So bring a friend, or two, or three to dine tapas style on beginning courses like Miso glazed pork belly and crispy pork ribs. It’s also a great place for date night, just make reservations and get a seat at one of the chef’s tables. And with private seating options, you could also host your next event at FSE.
By Marcus and Tamisha Washington
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Restaurant Hospitality - 10 Instagram-worthy desserts
Guests instinctively reach for their camera phones when these desserts hit the table.
There are currently more than 28 million delicious and awe-inspiring photos on Instagram with the hashtag #dessert. The more fantastic a photo, the more apt it is to be liked and passed along to others, which is the ultimate goal of the poster, and some of the best flattery for a pastry chef.
Creating the perfect panna cotta takes a bit of trial and error, according to chef Mel Toledo at Foundation Social Eatery in Atlanta, which offers a different panna cotta each season. “Panna cotta is a dessert that has the ability to morph into different versions, so we offer a different variety each season,” Toledo said. “For the chocolate panna cotta with chocolate-peanut butter ganache, peanut butter cookie crumble and coffee merengue, we wanted something that had classic pairings. Chocolate and peanut butter go perfectly together, and everyone loves coffee with dessert.”
Read more here.
Atlanta Magazine - Where to eat on Thanksgiving in Atlanta this year (and get turkey to go)
“A one-stop-Thanksgiving-to-go shop.”
For many, it’s their biggest meal of the year. Where will you eat on Thanksgiving Day?
Prefer to eat in the comfort of your own home? Get your turkey and fixings to-go.
A one-stop-Thanksgiving-to-go shop, Foundation Social Eatery is offering a meal for four for $125. This includes cider-brined boneless turkey breast, Yukon gold potato puree, green bean almandine, and more.
By Carly Cooper
Read more here
Nation’s Restaurant News – Tea proves versatile in kitchen and bar
“[Tea’s] increasing use in foodservice as an ingredient owes more to its versatility both in the kitchen and at the bar.”
Tea consumption in the U.S. has been rising steadily, driven in no small part by consumers’ embrace of the iced version as their year-round beverage of choice. In fact, the Tea Association of the USA reports that a whopping 85% of tea consumed in America is served over ice. At the same time, the association indicates that the hot tea category has also been on the upswing. While this overall growth largely reflects the perception of tea as a healthful beverage alternative, its increasing use in foodservice as an ingredient owes more to its versatility both in the kitchen and at the bar.
Photo credit: https://www.nrn.com/beverage-trends/chefs-make-use-tea-ingredient
The tea’s citrusy notes also account for its appearance on dessert menus. Foundation Social Eatery in suburban Atlanta has featured Earl Grey-scented chocolate mousse, and Semilla in Brooklyn, N.Y., has offered rhubarb with Earl Grey ice cream as the final course of its tasting menu.
Read more here.