Meet Aria’s new executive chef, Joseph Harrison

On June 18, Chef Joseph Harrison will take over the kitchen at Aria, ushering in a new era for the Buckhead restaurant institution, founded by Chef Gerry Klaskala 25 years ago. 

Klaskala announced his retirement from the restaurant industry after 55 years back in April, handing ownership of Aria over to long-tenured general manager and sommelier Andrés Loaiza. 

Klaskala’s final service at Aria takes place on June 14, the day before he and Loaiza head to Chicago to attend the James Beard Awards on June 16. Aria is a finalist for Outstanding Service.

Aria’s successful 25-year run comes down to a willingness to evolve with the times, Klaskala said. Part of that evolutionary arc included his stepping down and bringing in a new executive chef to lead the lauded kitchen, which has springboarded the careers of Chef Christopher Grossman of The Chastain, Lazy Betty chef de cuisine Austin Goetzman, and The Deer and The Dove chef de cuisine Alan Byers. 

Loaiza set a goal for himself to hire a chef from outside the Aria family – a chef who wasn’t so close to the restaurant and could come in with a fresh perspective on ways to improve it. 

The search took Loaiza to Savannah last year and to Common Thread, where Harrison was working as one of the restaurant’s executive chefs. Harrison, a Covington, GA, native and 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast, said Loaiza secretly dined twice at Common Thread, impressed with dishes like the berbere-spiced North Carolina flounder and redfish with a jalapeño emulsion and pickled green tomatoes.

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“Andrés was visiting Savannah in 2024 and ended up at Common Thread. He enjoyed it so much, he made it a point to come back,” Harrison said. “Gerry has some history in Savannah. His first restaurant was there. He reached out to some friends of his, speaking to old mentors of mine and doing his research on me before he reached out to me.”

One day last December, Harrison received a text from Klaskala out of the blue. At first, he didn’t think the text was real. But after confirming with a colleague acquainted with the Atlanta chef that the number was authentic, Harrison called Klaskala back

Four months later, Harrison was in the kitchen at Aria cooking alongside Klaskala and getting to know the staff he would eventually lead. 

Atlanta’s dining scene isn’t unfamiliar territory for Harrison. He got his start in restaurants working at Dairy Queen as a teenager, and later at Mystic Grill in Covington. He would go on to work for notable Atlanta restaurants, including Lazy Betty and Cooks & Soldiers, before moving to Savannah in 2021 for his job at Common Thread. 

If you’re a regular at Aria, you’re likely already familiar with Harrison. Loaiza and Klaskala have introduced him to many of the restaurant’s weekly regulars since coming on board in April. 

Harrison has also introduced a couple of new dishes to the Aria menu, like the Clem’s carrots and another preparation of the duck breast. 

“The carrots are used in a few ways in the dish. Some are pureed, some blanched and roasted, some pickled [with jalapenos]. The flavor profiles that come together are really delicious, and it’s the perfect time of year for carrots,” Harrison said. “I try to build a ladder and take ingredients like carrots when they’re at their peak and then set some aside to preserve and use in other ways.”

For the duck breast, Harrison prepares a blackberry agrodolce (Italian sour and sweet sauce) for it to sit atop. The duck comes accompanied by hard-seared and roasted cabbage dressed with tahini, fresh blackberries, and pickled green strawberries. 

But Harrison knows some dishes on the Aria menu are untouchable – at least for now. That includes the bistro steak and the oft-ordered short rib, the restaurant’s most popular entree. Earlier this year, Loaiza and Klaskala calculated that Aria has served more than a quarter of a million pounds of short rib since it opened 25 years ago. 

While respecting the dishes people cherish at Aria, however, Harrison and Loaiza also recognize that to keep Aria moving forward, some dishes will need to evolve. 

“The essence of certain dishes should not be changed, but we may change up what accompanies a dish or even a bit of the preparation over time,” Harrison said. “I’m being thoughtful about these dishes that people have been coming here for years to eat. The last thing I want to do is rip the tablecloth off the table. I want to earn everyone’s trust.”

He points to subtle changes he plans to make, like alternating the cut of beef used for the bistro steak.

“It’ll be much more of an organic change, something that feels natural,” Harrison said. “Gerry told me that he doesn’t want Aria to become a museum, that when he comes back to eat, he hopes it’s different.”

As for Loaiza, he plans to spend the next several weeks sprucing up Aria. The restaurant will receive a fresh coat of paint outside, along with new landscaping and decorative lighting. Loaiza will upgrade Aria’s glassware and china and commission some minor repairs inside. 

Like Klaskala and Loaiza, Harrison and Loaiza are on the same page when it comes to securing the future of Aria and keeping the restaurant relevant.

Hospitality has been a core tenet at Aria, something that will continue under the duo of Loaiza and Harrison, and a tenet now recognized by the James Beard Foundation.  

“I’m building on a legacy started by Gerry, a legend of a chef in Atlanta,” Harrison said, who sees tickets coming into the kitchen every night from regulars asking to see Klaskala before they head home. “

“Andrés has been very enthusiastic in helping introduce me to tables and to begin building that same relationship with our guests. I want to carry that on. That’s part of moving Aria forward,” he added.

Aria, 490 East Paces Ferry, Buckhead. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30 p.m. Gerry Klaskala’s last dinner service takes place June 14. Reservations are highly recommended. 

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