March 14, 2017

Meet Benjamin Meyer of Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant in West Midtown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Meyer.

Benjamin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was a fine dining chef from up North, Detroit actually, and I wanted to do something new and exciting. The opportunity with Barcelona Wine Bar and the building of the Westside Ironworks restaurant happened at the same time, and I went for it. I started with the company working in the DC market. I had the chance to go to Spain as part of an enrichment program for all the Barcelona chefs. That’s where I learned the philosophy and Spanish tradition of using incredible ingredients from the area you’re in, and I took that mentality back with me to Georgia. It inspired me to create food rooted in what’s available in the Atlanta market—coupled with specialty imports we’re really proud to have on our menu. The commonality is that everything is simply prepared.

Has it been a smooth road?
Coming to Atlanta wasn’t necessarily a struggle, but there’s definitely been a learning curve—mainly getting to know new and different ingredients. Here, the growing season is 8-9 months vs. in the Midwest where it’s only 3-4 months. That’s something I was really excited about because everything is anew—the corn, dairy, produce—it’s all a little different. Sorghum for example, is an ingredient I’m now really familiar with. I just bought a bunch of it and had to figure out to use it. It actually worked so well that I brought it up to New York recently to use for a dinner at the James Beard House!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Barcelona Wine Bar and Restaurant, Westside Ironworks – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Barcelona is a family of Spanish and Mediterranean style restaurants. As Barcelona chefs, we are given the opportunity to source amazing ingredients—from the areas that we’re in and abroad—and use them in creative ways. We’re about fresh, bold flavors.

Our menu is built to be flexible—it’s just right for those times when you want a few tapas and also perfect for an all-out dining experience.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love how much Atlanta has to offer. There are just so many restaurants, so many different types of people, and so many different styles, of everything. There is always something new to experience. I’ve been here for a while now and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. It’s exciting.
What do I like least? The traffic!

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