Credit: Concentrics Hospitality

This fine fellow striking the classic “Iron Chef” bring it pose is Nick Melvin, who will be leaving his post at Parish Foods & Goods in the Old Fourth Ward to join Athens chef Hugh Acheson in his first Atlanta venture, Empire State South.

A native of New Orleans, Melvin has worked at Bayonna in the Crescent City, and at Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama — good training for a chef who will run the city’s most anticipated new Southern restaurant.

According to Acheson’s press release, his new Midtown eatery will be “
a
 modern
 meat 
n’
 three
 that
 takes
  a fresh and vibrant approach
 to 
Southern 
classics. 
Acheson’s
 vision
 is
 an
 “every
person”
 restaurant,
 where 
simple
 foods
 are 
cooked
 flawlessly.
 Empire
 State
 will 
be
 open 
for 
breakfast,
 lunch 
and
 dinner
 with
 courtyard
 bocce
 ball 
available
 all
 day 
and
 an 
extensive
 coffee
 bar.”

That sounds like awesomeness.

Acheson, who came to national prominence with the opening of Five and Ten, also runs the National — another Athens eatery that serves small plates and riffs on Mediterranean flavors.