Chef Robert Phalen’s appreciation for fresh, quality ingredients began at a young age, when he spent summers on the family farm where just-picked peaches and tomatoes-off-the-vine were daily pleasures. Certain of his culinary ambitions, Phalen earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, SC, graduating magna cum laude.

Influenced by culinary greats such as John Currence and Bob Wagner, Phalen settled in Atlanta as Shaun Doty’s protégé at Chef Guenter Seeger’s Mumbo Jumbo. He then became the executive chef for Alon Balshon at his namesake Alon’s and later worked again with Doty at MidCity Cuisine, named as Atlanta Magazine’s “Restaurant of the Year 2003.”

In February of 2008, Phalen opened Holy Taco, a casual pan-Latin restaurant in the heart of east Atlanta. With a top-notch culinary education and a high-profile history under his belt, Phalen remains consistent in his support of sustainability and organic farming. He is a member of the Slow Food Movement and Heritage Foods USA. In the spring of 2011, he opened One Eared Stag, a restaurant that constantly challenges people’s preconceptions of various foods and food categories.