Lucky for Atlanta, Arnaud Berthelier travels. The international chef has found a new home at The Dining Room of The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, becoming the fourth chef in the 21-year history of the highly-rated restaurant.

“I learned to cook so I could travel,” confessed the French chef, who has tickled tastebuds around the globe, from the sands of Egypt to the shores of St. Thomas.
He was appointed head chef at The Dining Room following a three-month search.

Guests are sure to delight in his unique dishes that integrate the flavors and nuances of the cuisines he has experienced near and far. “I’m bringing regional foods into my menus and have many ideas for new menu introductions in the next few months,” Chef Berthelier said.

“We are proud to introduce our guests to Arnaud Berthelier,” said Otto Svensson, vice president, area general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. “His cuisine is very different from his three predecessors in The Dining Room so we have once again fulfilled our mission to bring chefs of different styles – but always of worldwide excellence – to this great restaurant.”

“Arnaud’s cuisine allows for more tableside service, with dishes finished in front of guests,” added Claude Guillaume, manager of The Dining Room. “Arnaud will visit guests at their tables during the evening because dining at this level certainly has a personal component.”

A native of the Lorraine in northeastern France between Alsace and Champagne, Chef Berthelier credits his mother with giving him a love of food and looks back fondly on the days he cooked at her side. “My love of preparing and enjoying great food came from her,” he said. “She taught me to be creative and to trust my instincts.”

Most recently, Chef Berthelier was executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh, a seaside resort located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt with award-winning specialty restaurants featuring Italian, Lebanese and Asian cuisines.

Two other Ritz-Carlton hotels have been home to Chef Berthelier: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, where he was chef at the resort’s highly recognized Dining Room, and The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, where he began his career with the company as chef of the resort’s acclaimed Dining Room.

Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton, Chef Berthelier held various positions in eight one-, two- and three-star Michelin restaurants throughout Europe, including Alain Ducasse’s Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo; Le Saveurs, London; and La Tour d’ Argent and Michel Guerard, Paris among others. He was sous chef for Grey Kunz at Lespinasse in Washington, D.C. and spent time in Japan.

French, Spanish and North African influences are evident in Chef Berthelier’s dishes which incorporate the regional cuisines of the countries that ring the Mediterranean, an inland sea of almost one million square miles bordered on the north by Europe, on the east by Asia and on the south by Africa.

“Every night it is a joy to meet our guests from Atlanta and visitors from the Southeast and the world,” Chef Berthelier said.

The Dining Room is one of only 14 restaurants in the country to receive the 2005 Mobil Five-Star Award and is also a recipient of the AAA Five-Diamond Award. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM. Reservations: 404/240-7035.