2026 Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program

2026 Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program 

Participant Requirements

The Georgia Department of Agriculture's Georgia Grown campaign has partnered with the Georgia Restaurant Association for a statewide Georgia Grown Executive Chef program. The following terms outlines the commitment to the Georgia Grown Executive Chef program. 

1. Incorporates locally grown product into your menu, educating patrons about foods that came from local farms and generating awareness about the product and their producers. 
2. Promotes and fosters a relationship between chefs and farmers, while creating a greater awareness among both restaurateurs and consumers about the availability of quality, local products in Georgia. 
3. Demonstrates knowledge about which local Georgia products are available for the cooking season. 
4. Assists local chefs on a strategy to incorporate locally grown produce into their menu. 
5. Aims to provide public school culinary education and school food nutrition by educating, training, or developing recipes. 
6. Provide a list of products you source locally and farms you work with and/or the approximate percentage of your menu that is sourced locally.
7. Participates in either a school demo, market demo, festival, or event at the Department of Agriculture.
8. If you are selected as a Georgia Grown Chef, you will be required to attend the Georgia Grown Chef presentation on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 9:00AM at the Georgia State Capitol.
   Other optional events include:
   — Participate as a judge for the Georgia ProStart Invitational on Wednesday, March 4, 2026
   — Host dinner on behalf of Georgia Grown at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens
   — Participate as a judge at The Flavors of Georgia
   — Showcase a dish at the Georgia State Capitol following the presentation on Wednesday, Tuesday, March 10, 2026

The Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Restaurant Association appreciate your support and participation in the Georgia Grown program. Your involvement in this program contributes to our mission to create a greater awareness both among restaurateurs and consumers about the importance of buying and eating local.

Submit Application

*Application Closes Friday, February 20th.