Meet the team

Chef Kevin Gillespie

President and Chief Ideas man

Kevin Gillespie grew up on Sunshine Circle in Locust Grove, Georgia surrounded by his large extended family where he watched his granny, Geneva Gillespie, cook each day. He fell in love with food and cooking at an early age but didn’t decide to become a chef until high school. Wanting to become a nuclear engineer, Kevin applied to and was accepted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a high school senior. Once he got over the initial shock of being accepted, he hid the acceptance letter from his parents, friends, and college placement counselors so he could rethink his ambition to become a nuclear engineer. He eventually told his parents that he didn't want to go to MIT but instead wanted to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta and study cooking. His parents supported his decision and his mother told him it was good that he knew what he was meant to do early in life.

Kevin began his culinary education at the Art Institute of Atlanta and was determined to gain the experience he needed to become a successful chef. While carrying a full course load at the Art Institute, he worked part-time at various restaurants perfecting his craft. After graduating with honors, Gillespie went on to hold different positions at several well-known Atlanta restaurants including chef de partie at Atlanta Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, sous chef at TWO Urban Licks and chef de cuisine at Woodfire Grill. He enjoyed his time at each of these places but found a true connection at Woodfire, where he originally stayed for two years. In August of 2006, Gillespie headed to the West Coast where he went to work as executive sous chef at Fife Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. After a year and a half there, he missed his family and friends in the South and returned to Atlanta. Gillespie came back to Woodfire Grill to continue to work for his friend and teacher Michael Tuohy.

In 2009 after Michael Tuohy departed, Kevin was promoted to executive chef at Woodfire Grill and was subsequently offered partnership in the restaurant. During Kevin’s time at Woodfire Grill, the restaurant was featured on CNN, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Men’s Health as a dining destination for visitors to Atlanta.

Chef Marco Shaw

Vice President

A native of Washington, D.C., Marco’s career path wasn’t always headed for the restaurant industry.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Randolph-Macon College, he decided to take a year to work in a restaurant before beginning medical school. During that year, he fell in love with the business and then began a three-year American Culinary Federation apprenticeship at the Tobacco Company Restaurant in Richmond, Virginia, while also pursuing a second degree, this one in culinary arts and hotel/restaurant management. He went on to cook at restaurants in New Orleans, New York, Santa Fe and Portland, Oregon.

Marco opened his first restaurant, Fife in Portland in 2002 where he hired Kevin Gillespie as a sous chef in 2006. When Kevin left Portland for Atlanta, he and Marco remained good friends. In 2010 Marco and his family moved to Durham, N.C. partnering in his 3rd and 4th restaurants where he was the chef at Piedmont Restaurant. When Kevin decided he wanted to expand his company, Marco was his first call.

Marco joined the Company at the launch of Red Beard Restaurants in 2015. With 20+ years of experience in all facets of the restaurant industry, Marco is able to relate to all of the company’s employees and works hard to help them determine the roles for which they are best suited. As the Vice President of Red Beard, Marco is tasked with helping steer the company and making the visions of the Chief Ideas Man come to life.

Favorite tv show: the law & order franchise- all of them

What time period would you visit in history: medieval Britain

The food you could eat the rest of your life: Maryland blue crabs

Something weird about you: I know all the lyrics to garth brooks’ greatest hits

Happiest moment in your life: the days my children were born-equally ecstatic, in awe and in love

Ryan Rosenberry

Event Sales Manager, Red Beard Restaurants

Favorite album: tool Lateralus

Favorite movie: Goonies never say die!

Dream vacation you would like to take: Bavaria (beer) to islay (scotch) to Oaxaca (mezcal)

Favorite pizza toppings: chicken wings

What would you do if you won the lottery: pug farmer.

Chris McCord

Chef de Cuisine, Gunshow

Chris worked at Arby's when he was 15. His next and most memorable job followed as a server/busboy, at a tex-mex restaurant, a job that he took in order to become more social and outgoing.

Chris’ next stop was at the art institute of Atlanta... Kevin Gillespie was a year ahead of him and Chris remembers watching Kevin chopping garlic with a pairing knife in a class next to him. Through connections with the art institute, Chris acquired a job at the globe where he learned under joe Schaeffer and Adam waller. He then spent 5 years working with fab and f@b before taking a job at ink and elm with steve sharp.

He finally made his way to Gunshow in 2015.

Favorite movie: into the wild

Alternative universe career: fishing boat captain

Favorite tv show: Ru Paul’s drag race

Dream vacation: Mexico

Celebrity you were most excited to meet: Kirsten Dunst

Andreas Müller

Chef, Red Beard Special Events

Some of Andreas Müller’s fondest memories of growing up in Sweden revolve around food. He was exposed to fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables at a young age, which ignited his passion for cooking. As executive chef at Revival, Andreas uses precise techniques and farm-fresh ingredients to elevate the traditional Southern family-style suppers that chef/owner Kevin Gillespie experienced as a child.

A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, Andreas first worked under Kevin Gillespie as chef de partie at Woodfire Grill. He spent over two years at that restaurant, learning the ropes of fine dining. After departing Woodfire Grill, Müller took on sous chef roles at Atlanta restaurants 4th& Swift and H. Harper Station before re-joining Kevin at Gunshow as a “kitchen dude”.

At Gunshow, Andreas mastered the art of timing and enjoyed creating menus with ever-changing ingredients while building long-lasting relationships with local farmers.

Favorite album: Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits

First restaurant job: McDonald’s

Alternative universe career: Kindergarten Teacher

Can’t live without: Dental Floss

Favorite office supply: Tape Dispenser

Joe Callaway

Service Manager, Revival Decatur

A Georgia boy born and raised, Joe started his restaurant career at Harbour Pointe Reastaurant on Lake Tobosofkee in his hometown of Macon, Ga. He has since worked almost every position a restaurant has to offer, from meat slicer to bartender in concepts from fast food to college bars.

He moved to Atlanta in 2016 to join the RedBeard team as a server at Gunshow and, later, Revival, where he is excited and proud to lead the service team and to continue to give Atlanta some of the best southern food this state has to offer.

Favorite album: it changes often, but currently it's Deftones' newest album Gore

Favorite Movie: Shawshank Redemption

First Restaurant Job: busboy at Harbour Pointe Restaurant

Alternate Universe Job: Park Ranger

Favorite Movie Quote: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist."

Can't live without: comic books and whiskey

Favorite pizza toppings: literally anything but pineapple. That is an abomination.

Who would play you in a movie about your life: I would like to say Chris Pratt, but it'd probably be Paul Giamatti.

Favorite office supply: Pilot G2 10 pen

If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would you pick: sushi

Favorite cartoon character or book as a child: Donatello and Encyclopedia Brown.

Maggie Owen

Retail Merchandise & Brand Manager, Red Beard Restaurants

Maggie has developed her career around her three loves: fashion, music, and food. After interning with the fashion department at O Magazine in NYC, she moved to Atlanta to join travel and music experience company Sixthman, where she led the design and production of apparel and branded collateral for partners such as KISS, Mad Decent, and Turner Classic Movies.

Here at Red Beard Restaurants, Maggie heads up our retail and brand division, coordinating the design and production of merchandise as well as manning the Red Beard Merch store.

When she’s not creating mood boards or sipping her third cup of coffee, you’ll find her hunting through racks at thrift stores or hiking with her husband and their Great Dane mix, Stella.

First restaurant job: Host of two restaurants at a resort

Alternate universe career: Drummer/vocalist in a Hall & Oates cover band called The Man Eaters

Favorite atlanta restaurants: Quoc Huong for bánh mì, Marcel for a burger, Revelator for coffee & almond croissants

Can’t live without: Music, denim, coffee, dogs, ooh and beer

Do you have any hidden talents? If so, what? I’ve got killer dance moves.

Keytuana Evans

Kitchen Manager, Red Beard Special Events

“Big Jon” Conklin is a California native born and raised in Ocean Beach, CA. With over 16 years experience in the hospitality industry; his passion for cultivating strong, meaningful relationships within the local community were the building blocks for his role today at Social Syndicate. Getting his start as a bartender at The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole, his customer connections and passion for the company’s one-of-a-kind culture were a perfect fit.

His energy is contagious and is a true believer that creativity and customer engagement is the key to success in his role. He has expanded to developing creative concepts, building brand awareness, community relations, venue event management and making sure Social Syndicate is known for throwing the best party in town!

Outside of work, Big Jon enjoys spending time with his wife and his cat, Taco. A former collegiate basketball player at Sacramento State, he still loves the game and has played throughout the US and Mexico.