Joseph Harrison
Common Thread | Savannah, GA
NOVEMBER 2024
For as long as he could remember, Joseph Harrison was drawn to the kitchen. He got his first job working at a Dairy Queen when he was 16. Then, in his junior year of high school, he switched to a vocational school, where he got to spend real time in the kitchen. There, everything clicked into place for him and, with the guidance of the program’s chef, Jeanie Newton, Harrison decided to pursue a career in the industry. He got a kitchen job at a local Applebee’s before picking up shifts in small mom-and-pop restaurants around Covington, Georgia. Once he turned 18, Harrison set his sights on Atlanta and joined the team at Cooks & Soldiers. He fell in love with the kitchen atmosphere and the camaraderie on the line. Cooking under Rising Stars alum Matt Ridgway, Harrison rose from line cook to sous, gaining valuable experience through trial and error until he began developing dishes for the menu.
Harrison went on to help open Rising Stars alums Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips’ Lazy Betty before returning to Cooks & Soldiers. In 2020, he worked alongside Chef J. Trent Harris to get his sushi concept, Mujō, off the ground. When the pandemic hit, Harrison split his time between Mujō and Cooks & Soldiers, supporting the restaurant on the operations side during the uncertain times. He then moved to The Iberian Pig for a few months before relocating to Savannah in 2021.
Harrison joined the team at Common Thread as a line cook before eventually becoming chef de cuisine in January 2022. Now, as executive chef, he works closely with Chef-Owner Brandon Carter to develop a menu that celebrates the Lowcountry’s bountiful produce. In addition to highlighting Southern farms, Harrison showcases his appreciation of local seafood through dishes like his North Carolina flounder with berbere spice, buttermilk, leche de tigre, pickled red onion, and crispy Carolina Gold rice.
2024 StarChefs Charleston-Savannah Rising Stars Award Winner
