Gerry Garvin

Chef Gerry Garvin was born on September 28, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia to Eleanor Garvin and Darrel Owens. He attended Morris Brandon Elementary, Sutton Middle School, and Northside High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

Garvin began his career at the Old Vinings Inn restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia at thirteen years old. He went on to become the youngest line cook in a gourmet dining room at the Ritz Carlton hotel in downtown Atlanta. Garvin moved to California, where he was hired by the Ritz Carlton- Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs. After several years in California, Garvin traveled to Europe, where he worked as an apprentice for Chef Jean Pierre Maharebacha in Warsaw, Poland and Hamburg, Germany. When he returned to the United States, Garvin was hired as a sous chef at Veni Vidi Vici in Atlanta.

Garvin then moved back to California and worked as a caterer for the Second Annual Vanity Fair party in 1995. In 1999, Garvin opened his first restaurant, Reign, with former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson, in Beverly Hills, California. He left Reign in 2000 and was hired to cater high profile events, including dinners for former President Bill Clinton and a brunch for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In 2001, Garvin opened his restaurant, G. Garvin’s, in Los Angeles, California with his business manager and minority partner, entrepreneur Fawn Weaver. In 2004, he was the host of his show Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin on TV One, and in 2006, he published his first cookbook of the same name. In 2012, Garvin opened the first LowCountry restaurant, and in 2021, he opened LowCountry Steak in Atlanta. Garvin has served as the chief culinary advisor for SodexoMAGIC, a food service program founded by former NBA player Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and he has served as the chief culinary officer for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the State Farm Arena as well as the Humble Baron restaurant in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Throughout his career, Garvin received numerous awards and honors, which include an American Literacy Award and a NAACP Image Award nomination. In 2007, he was named Man of the Year by Women Moving Forward in Business. Garvin is also a James Beard Award nominee.

Garvin and his wife, Selam Welde, reside in Atlanta, Georgia. They have two children: Nola Mihaly-Garvin and Maxwell Garvin.

Gerry Garvin was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 17, 2025.