Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerard Nudo and Gary McElroy.
Gerard and Gary, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I [Gerard] was born in Italy, in Calabria, near the Mediterranean coast, and grew up in Astoria, NY, a neighborhood largely populated with Greek and Italian immigrants. In a household containing not one, but two kitchens my Italian parents instilled in me the Mediterranean style of cooking with its attention to healthy, wholesome, nourishing ingredients.
Cooking and baking were constant interests in my non-linear career path that has included sheep farming in Ireland and bookselling in Manhattan. My partner, Gary, grew up in Dallas. Early interests in architecture led him first to Chicago for college and then, in his mid-twenties, on to New York City. A career with Rizzoli Bookstore started in Chicago and lasted thirty-plus years in NYC.
When Gary was diagnosed with celiac disease about 15 years ago, I started seriously experimenting with gluten-free cooking and baking. That focus and a mutual feeling that we’d run the course in New York and bookselling led us to a decision to enroll in New York’s Institute of Culinary Education for degrees in pastry arts and management.
Our goal would be to open a restaurant and bakery in a forward-thinking city that was warmer than New York, and preferably had a greater concentration of trees than taxis.
Pulling all of our ideas together, a Mediterranean centered restaurant and bakery, with an interior designed by Gary, entirely gluten-free, favoring vegetarian, vegan, and pescatarian diets, but with room for steak-frites on its menu, would open in Atlanta, a city we had visited many times and grown to love.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Opening a business in a building that had been abandoned for 25 years meant, of course, that we were working with an architect and a general contractor for a considerable period of time before being able to open our doors. Engaging with the city, county, and state to obtain the various permits and licenses required to open was on occasion a trip down the rabbit hole.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
While it might seem obvious for a restaurant to keep the focus on the food and service, there is a multitude of other approaches taken by restaurateurs to distract and entertain. We haven’t gone that route.
–Our interior, while not minimalist, is basic: it is not designed to thrust a transporting theme park experience on everyone walking through our doors.
–Our music, classic jazz, is not meant to drive guests through a meal at X number of beats per minute.
–Our menu is written in a straightforward manner without over-the-top verbiage.
What were you like growing up?
Gary: Introverted, with little time for anything but baseball, drawing, perusing architecture books, listening to music, and growing plants.
Gerard: Somewhat more socially adjusted, with little time for anything but playing and composing music.
Contact Info:
- Address: 332 Ormond Street SE Atlanta, GA 30315
- Website: www.mediterraneaAtl.com
- Phone: (404) 748-4219
- Email: info@mediterraneaAtl.com
- Instagram: @mediterranea_atl
- Facebook: @MediterraneaATL
- Twitter: @MediterraneaATL
Image Credit:
MediterraneaAtl
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Mara Evans
October 30, 2018 at 7:59 pm
We love Mediteranea in Grant Park. However, because it’s such a neighborhood spot, the menu tends to become boring. My advice would be to consider a few updated recipes per season to keep us coming back.