Brad Stevens, chef at Macon restaurant Dovetail since 2012, has accepted the position of Executive Chef at Natalia’s. After 10 years at the helm of Dovetail, Brad has established himself as a top culinary talent in the state and a champion for regional farmers. Dovetail was awarded silver as a 2022 Georgia Organics Farmer Champion, the only restaurant with such distinction in Central Georgia. Dovetail also received Best Fine Dining honors in The Telegraph’s 2022 Best of Middle Georgia Awards.

Stevens, eager for a new challenge, will apply his talents to Macon fine dining stalwart Natalia’s, founded by Natalia Del Basso Orsini in 1984 and purchased by The Moonhanger Group in 2018. His goal is to refine Natalia’s Italian roots and identity while enhancing its reputation as a top fine dining destination in the state.

“My decade at Dovetail was the best years of my life. I met my wife there, and learned the true extent of my capabilities. I'm excited about the challenge of operating the kitchen at Natalia’s. I'll do my best to honor the strong traditions there, while infusing a modern approach to Northern Italian cuisine,” said Chef Brad Stevens.

At Dovetail, Chef Lane Richardson takes the helm as Head Chef. A graduate of the Helms College Culinary Arts Program, Lane has been with the Dovetail team since 2017, recently being promoted to Chef de Cuisine in 2022.

“I have the opportunity to lead the restaurant that I used to dream about getting a job at, and not a lot of people get to say that. Dovetail has always stood for principles that I value; creativity, community growth, working with and supporting local farmers and artisans, seasonality, pushing boundaries, and holding ourselves to the highest standard we possibly can. I'm so thankful that I've been able to spend the last several years learning under Chef Brad Stevens, thankful for the incredibly talented and hard-working team we have, and I'm proud and beyond excited to be at the helm going forward,” said Chef Lane Richardson.

Dovetail is located at 543 Cherry Street above the Rookery and is open 7 nights a week at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by visiting dovetailmacon.com.

Natalia’s is located off Bass Road at 201 N. Macon Street and is open Monday thru Saturday at 5p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by visiting Natalias.net.

Moonhanger Group is the parent company of The Rookery, Dovetail, Natalia’a, H&H, The Capitol Theatre, Grant’s Lounge, The Woodward Hotel and Quill Cocktail Bar. For more information, visit moonhangergroup.com.