Growing up in a family that goes to lunch to plan where they will eat dinner, Stuart feels he was destined to work in restaurants. However, the path that led him into the hospitality industry is, shall we say, winding? His formative years were spent in a family business selling ladies’ shoes. But, Stuart turned his back on footwear fashion to attend to the University of Texas, where he studied Advertising. After writing freelance ad copy for several agencies, Stuart went on to teach snow skiing in California and New Zealand for the next decade. Yet 3 year-round winters led Stuart to ask the question any talented ski instructor asks: how can you make a living during the summer? And a career in hospitality was born.

Stuart ran a Baskin Robbins and an historic, water-front Chart House before being recruited back to the deep South by the Peasant Restaurant Group to manage Peasant Uptown, Dailey’s, and an ill-fated turnaround of Frankie’s at the Landing in Jacksonville, Fl. Fortunately Fifth Group needed a GM to open its 3rd restaurant concept in 1999, La Tavola Trattoria. Stuart managed La Tavola for almost 2 years before taking the helm at South City Kitchen-Midtown for another 4 years, and eventually becoming the Director of Operations in 2005.

Today besides serving as the model behind the character Cyril Figgis on the animated series “Archer,” Stuart likes to peruse Buford Highway, find a sign in a language he can’t read, and read a good book while he gorges himself on unusual ethnic cuisine.

I'm hungry