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Chef Craig Richards to Open Elise at Woodruff Arts Center August 19, 2025

Seafood-forward, French-meets-Italian restaurant brings culinary arts to Atlanta’s premier cultural campus

Elise, the highly anticipated second restaurant from Chef Craig Richards (Lyla Lila), is set to open Tuesday, August 19 at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta. Occupying the former Table 1280 space, Elise will offer an elegant menu of French and Italian-inspired cooking, a seafood-forward focus, and a refined, artful atmosphere that complements the energy of the Arts Center campus. 

Elise marks the first restaurant partnership for the Woodruff Arts Center, home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alliance Theatre, and High Museum of Art, and represents an intentional embrace of the culinary arts alongside its world-class visual and performing arts programming.

“We’re thrilled to officially welcome Elise this summer,” says Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center. “Craig is a thoughtful and visionary chef, and his team is creating a concept that enhances the guest experience across our campus, offering a new way for visitors to engage with the arts.”

Designed by Renzo Piano, the original space provided a clean, modernist foundation that Richards and Smith Hanes Studio have reinterpreted. Their renovation introduces lighter wood floors and a warm white palette, layered with bold applications of color: red hues in the bar and natural green tones in the dining room—each element playing off the courtyard views and surrounding campus energy.

Key artworks include a large abstract piece in the dining room by Tommy Taylor, inspired by 1960s and ’70s American modernism; a sculptural entrance work by Sonya Yong James, known for her use of coarse horsehair and texture; and an energetic piece from Athens-based Chrissy Reed’s Blobbiesseries in the bar, echoing the restaurant’s color-forward interior design.
 

Chef Richards’ culinary style at Elise emphasizes a balance of classical technique and personal expression. The menu will highlight raw and cooked seafood, house made pastas, and French dishes interpreted through an Italian lens. With a focus on seasonal vegetables and sustainable sourcing, Elise will also offer prime-grade Midwestern steaks, a subtle nod to Richards’ Nebraska roots.

“I’ve always been drawn to cooking seafood,” says Richards. “It’s an evolution that began at St. Cecilia and continues here. Elise is a chance to showcase that growth and explore new expressions of technique and flavor.”

The restaurant will open with an à la carte dinner menu, with plans to debut a five-course tasting menu ($95) and optional wine pairings ($45) in the coming weeks. The menu begins with small plates such as scallop crudo with melon and bronze fennel, chicken liver mousse with strawberry hibiscus jam, and charred Persian cucumbers with pistachio chili butter. Four pastas include Richards’ signature cacio e pepe risotto, linguine with clams and langoustines, tagliatelle with rabbit ragu, and gnocchetti with crab and fennel pollen butter. Entrées range from smoked lamb shank with polenta verde and poached apricots to duck breast with Tokyo turnips and blackberry dashi emulsion, halibut with ginger beurre blanc and caviar, and premium steaks with Madeira–porcini jus and pomme purée. Desserts will include a warm lemon tart, housemade gelati and sorbetti, and a classic chocolate mousse finished with olive oil, sea salt, and za’atar.

The wine list will feature 100 selections, largely focused on French producers, from celebrated appellations to lesser-known winemakers bringing fresh perspectives to traditional styles. Beverage Manager Eric Potrikus’ cocktail program will balance flavors familiar to guests with unique ingredients and house-made elements that showcase creativity and seasonality. A curated vermouth menu will offer five to six artisanal expressions, providing an elegant start to the meal and showcasing a spirit that aligns with Elise’s “less is more” philosophy. Together, the wine and spirits selections will blend classic favorites with limited-production labels, resulting in offerings that are comforting, engaging, and undeniably delicious.

Service at Elise will be led by Chris Blackburn, who moves from his current role as general manager at Lyla Lila into a new position as Director of Hospitality for both restaurants. Elise’s approach will reflect the elevated, artful nature of its surroundings.

Elise will open for dinner service Tuesday–Sunday at 5 PM, with weekday lunch service launching shortly thereafter. Lunch will offer lighter, elegant fare designed for Arts Center guests and nearby neighbors like tuna Niçoise, seasonal vegetable-forward dishes, and lunch-size portions of pasta.

“There’s something meaningful about returning to a space that first inspired you,” says Richards. “When I dined here back in 2005, I was drawn to the architecture and the atmosphere. Now, to have the opportunity to contribute my own vision—one that is shaped by food, music, and design—feels both personal and creatively full circle.”

Reservations are now available on www.elise-atl.com or by visiting Resy. Follow along on social media @EliseArtsCenter. 

A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SUSPENSE-FILLED THRILLER DELIVERING ONE DEVILISH TWIST  AFTER ANOTHER

WRITTEN BY YORK WALKER
DIRECTED BY TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN

ON THE HERTZ STAGE
OCTOBER 8 – NOVEMBER 9, 2025

The Alliance Theatre is excited to announce the cast of its upcoming production, COVENANT. Written by York Walker and directed by the Alliance Theatre’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, COVENANT runs on the Hertz Stage, October 8 through November 9, 2025. Opening night is Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

Described as “a striking Southern Gothic work” (The New York Times), COVENANT is a haunting new play that pushes the boundaries between myth and reality. Avery is desperate for a way out of her small Georgia town. When her childhood friend Johnny returns after making a name for himself as a blues star, Avery may have found her chance. But Johnny’s sudden fame leads to gossip that he made a deal with the devil to attain his newfound musical genius, and before long it becomes clear that he’s not the only one in town with a secret. A suspense-filled thriller that delivers one devilish twist after another, COVENANT explores the gripping power of belief and the thin veil between rumor and truth.

“Anytime I write something, it feels like a collaboration between my intentions and something bigger – like there is a world where the play is already written, and all I did was pull from that to try and build what we have in COVENANT,” said Playwright York Walker. “A person who grew up in a religious household, like me, will bring specific things to this experience and will probably walk away from it very differently from somebody who didn’t grow up with religion at all. There is something about the genre of horror and the experience of exploring our fears that’s really interesting to me. COVENANT was born from curiosity; curiosity about what horror could look like on stage, with Black characters, without it being corny.”

The cast of COVENANT features Brittany Deneen (Actor’s Express: Sunset Baby) as Violet, Deidrie Henry (Alliance Theatre: Everybody, Blues for an Alabama Sky) as Mama, Jade Payton (Off-Broadway: Covenant, Netflix: Glamorous) as Avery, Alaysia Renay Duncan as Ruthie (Regional: The Winter’s Tale), and Jemarcus Kilgore (Aurora Theater: Sister Act, The Wiz; Alliance Theatre: 2018 Palefsky Collision Project) as Johnny “Honeycomb” James. 

The creative team of COVENANT is led by Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and includes Kenny Leon Directing Fellow and Associate Director Candy McLellan, Scenic and Lighting Designer Jiyoun Chang, Costume Designer Shilla Benning, Sound Designer Melanie Chen Cole, Fight Choreographer Jake Guinn, and Mental Health Consultant Laura Morse.

Additional production support includes Stage Manager Barbara Gantt O’Haley, and Stage Management Production Assistant Samantha Honeycutt.

Performances of COVENANT run on the Hertz Stage October 8 through November 9, 2025 – learn more.

“Forget about what you are escaping from, reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” – Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Universal Power of Storytelling

This quote, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Michael Chabon (soon to be adapted into a new opera this fall) has resonated with me for years. What makes “Fiddler on the Roof” so universal and enduring? I often return to a moment in the documentary Miracle of Miracles, where a Japanese theatre manager tells Joseph Stein, “I cannot believe how Japanese Fiddler on the Roof is.” That comment captures the essence of why stories and theatre have resonated for thousands of years: people see themselves reflected in these narratives, regardless of their background.

Concentric Circles of Connection

 Fiddler on the Roof is universal because it focuses on the smallest circle—a single family. At its heart, it is the story of a father terrified of losing his daughters and his role as the head of the family. Anyone who has been a parent, or has had a parent, can recognize that primal fear.

The story then expands to a larger circle: the community of Anatevka. Here, the townspeople grapple with the tension between tradition and modernity—arranged marriages, generational conflict, and the struggle to adapt to change while holding on to their identity. These aren’t just Jewish experiences; they are fundamentally human.

The circles widen further. Fiddler becomes the story of a people without a permanent home—displaced, forced to rebuild their lives time and again. Every few years, they arrive at a new train station or airport, constructing a new community only to face the prospect of migration once more. They live on borrowed time, always at risk of becoming “the other,” cast as outsiders or even villains.

This cycle of displacement and “othering” is a universal experience, shared by countless groups across history and geography.

Universality Through Specificity

 It’s a well-known truth in theatre: for a story to be truly universal, it must be deeply specific. Fiddler on the Roof is the quintessential Jewish tale that is rooted in a very particular tradition—the rituals of Shabbat, Jewish weddings, and prayer shawls are not common to many other cultures. Yet these details serve to communicate a much broader, human truth.

These stories resonate with anyone who empathizes with families torn apart, parents separated from children, or people fleeing hate and violence. Paradoxically, it’s the uniqueness of this society, the specific details, that allows this story to speak to so many others.

Returning to Chabon’s words: “Forget about what you are escaping from, reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” The people of Anatevka are forced to

leave, but their odyssey is far from over. Some emigrate to America, building a new life with sweat and tears. Others go to Israel, forging a life that is perpetually overshadowed by existential peril. The unluckiest of all, remain in Europe, facing further persecution and the horrors that would follow in the 1930s.

The Bright Side

While these themes are heavy, there is another side to this story. Survivors have always found ways to endure. Across generations, Jewish people have relied on two essential “hacks” for survival:

Embracing Family

Recognizing the strength and importance of the family nucleus.

Embracing Humor

Using wit and laughter as tools to cope with adversity.

This humor is woven into the fabric of Fiddler on the Roof, providing warmth and resilience in the face of hardship. There are many circles in Fiddler: the nucleus of the family, the dynamic of a town, the tradition of a people. These circles are constantly challenged by outside forces, all of them revolving around the question of identity. The laughter, the anxiety, the perseverance— this is what makes this story so universal, yet so profoundly personal to me.

Performances of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF run on the Coca-Cola Stage September 4 through October 12, 2025 – learn more.