Stolen Goods
A new wave of Black chefs in Atlanta are amplifying their voices through collaboration.
Chef Maximillian Hines | PhotoS: Will BLUNT
The Brainchild of Chef Maximilian Hines, Stolen Goods is a chef collective and pop-up series in Atlanta aimed at highlighting chefs of color, especially black chefs. Despite over fifty percent of the Atlanta population being nonwhite, the city’s chefs of color are not always represented in its culinary scene, but Stolen Goods aims to change that.
Hines, executive chef at forthcoming Breaker Breaker, first started the pop-up series in 2018. “I originally started reaching out to chefs that I liked and who were cooking in their unique style,” says Hines. One of the first to come on board was Rising Stars alum Bryan Furman of Bryan Furman BBQ. The two met in 2016 and became friends, with Hines going on to host one of his earliest pop-ups at Furman’s restaurant. “When Chef Max told me his concept of what Stolen Goods meant to him, I was all in,” says Furman. With the success of Stolen Goods’ early “Bodega” series, (thanks to Hines, Furman, and Chef Izzy Grier of Dad’s slinging Frito pies and loaded hot dogs), Hines started to experiment with more popups: “Traptoria,” inspired by East Coast Italian-American carry-out, and the breakfast pop-up “MF Egg Café,” inspired by late rapper MF DOOM and McDonald’s McCafé menu. With an outpouring of love and support from the community, the Stolen Goods collective continued to grow.
Chef Justin Dixon Of Humble Mumble
Turkey Stack: Roasted Turkey, Mozzarella, Basil Mayonnaise, Cranberry Relish at Humble Mumble
“I first started participating in Stolen Goods when Max and I decided to collaborate on a couple of pop-ups together,” says Chef Justin Dixon of pop-up Humble Mumble. At its core, Stolen Goods is all about collaboration. “Stolen Goods has been like a giant family meal ever since the first Sunday Supper,” says Bartender Kharis Ellison of Holeman & Finch, who began participating in the pop-ups during the Sunday Supper honoring culinary legend Edna Lewis. “Not only do we get to collaborate and shoot the breeze, we translate our love for the city into a physical form that we can share with our friends and loved ones who come to eat at our table.” Hines has brought on a number of chefs from the community to join in on his Sunday Supper pop-ups, like Yusef Walker of Dolo’s Pizza, Claudia Martinez of Miller Union, and Robert Butts of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours.
Bartender Kharis Ellison of HOleman & Finch
Chef Robert Butts of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
Chef Yusef Walker of Dolo’s Pizza
Stolen Goods, however, is about much more than serving kick-ass food. Chef Demetrius Brown of Heritage Supper Club joined the Stolen Goods family in 2022, and for him, the camaraderie and mentorship has made a significant impact. ”I've worked in kitchens for nine years now, and I've never had someone who shared a similar outlook as me,” Brown says. “I've never been mentored by a person who looks like me, but since I've been a part of Stolen Goods, that’s all changed.”
“We’re giving people a stage to tell their stories. We’re the new wave of chefs coming up in Atlanta. Even though it's a predominantly black city, it's mainly white chefs that are looked at,” says Hines. “We have to yell at the top of our lungs and hope for people to hear us, but hopefully when we all yell together, it'll be hard for them to miss us," Dixon says.
Hines and the Stolen Goods family aren’t slowing down anytime soon, with plans to host their second Edna Lewis dinner in the works, and to continue their popular Sunday Supper series. “What I’m most proud of is the way we’ve come together and the friendships that have been made,” says Hines. “Stolen Goods is where my heart is. It’s more than just cooking.”
Chef Demetrius Brown of Heritage Supper Club
Braised Oxtail, Basmati Rice, Pigeon Peas, Fried Sweet Potato Leaves, Green Plantain at Heritage Supper Club
