Meet Guy Bottoms | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Guy Bottoms and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Guy, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have always wanted to be a chef since I was 6 years old. When I was 19 it was between going to the military or culinary arts school. I picked the army so I could get school money. Ended up doing 11 years and 3 months, got out to chase my dream to be a chef. As I grew as a chef and started cooking in front of people I had to have a brand.. when I was in the army one of my units I was in was HHC HEADQUARTERS HEADQUARTERS COMPANY. I took and turned HHC in to Hippie Head Chef, I came up with my logo at lids a day before killer tomato’s festival like 5-6 years ago.. so then I bought a house with my Va home loan in the city of Atlanta. I call my house the Hippie House it’s where I do 5 course private dinners for up to 10 people. While I was doing this I even started a live pod cast radio show with 2 of my friends. We called it Sunday brunch, had my boy that’s a DJ he was there with all his stuff and we had guest. My brand one day will be the biggest chef brand in the world…

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been blessed to work at some of the top restaurants in Atlanta and the number 1 steak house on Martha’s Vineyard. Building a brand is all on you, it’s not easy some day you take 2 steps forward and the next 10 steps back. With this brand I want to be able to give back to veterans. It’s not easy being a chef working for someone else crazy hours and still try to build a brand. Because of trying To do both at the same time I have had to put my personal life on hold at times. I started my private chef dinners right when Covid hit and because I quit my job to do that I could not get Covid unemployment. I thought I was going to lose my house and everything I had worked for. I still did dinners and that helped me stay a head of my bills. Then I got a opportunity to go to Martha’s Vineyard and work as a line cook for the summer of 2021. It helped me get back on top, went back the next year as a sou chef for the same restaurant. Daily I try to tell everyone I know about my brand and ask them to go follow me. Even now as we build out a camper van so I can travel and pull my smoker to smoke meats for vets and mental health.. that is the plan for next winter, I want to drive across the USA and smoke the meats for free for veterans and then go live on instagram and talk about mental health with veterans. What we deal with when we get out.. so I have ptsd and some other things mentally I deal with… but I take the time every day and try to work on it. The thing that makes me smile is when some one try’s my food and they just light up. It’s never been about money for me it’s about taking over the world 1 tazte bud at a time… if you ask any Army active duty or a veteran what HHC means they will say Headquarters Headquarters Company, they are right. Like I said I took it and this in to Hippie Head Chef, my smoker that’s on a trailer is from fort Benning a friend bought it at a auction and at the time he bought it ARMY HHC had owned it.. a few years later he hits me up and sells it to me.. so HHC comes from my army roots.. it’s veteran owned and one day I want to walk down the road and see people walking with my things with my logo on it. I even have a dope chef shoe I just need 5 mins with vans, Nike, or any other shoe company. I can sell my brand and what I am trying to do. This last 10 years has been a journey!!! Blessed to have my dog Kai with me on this journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would get them a bicycle to ride and we would hit the beltline, we would start in the west end. They would have to go to Box car Hop city, then hit Monday night garage. Then we would head to Inman Park and stop at North highland Pub, that’s where I met Kevin rathbun and got a mentor who’s has helped me in my career path. We would be on the beltline all day, Ponce City Market, and we then would hit Krog St. and then have a drink at Rathbun’s steak house.. that would just be one day the next day we would drive to Buford Highway, and there is so many restaurants but from different countries.. I grew up in that area and there is so much good food there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes my ex wife, Monica Stewart, we met when I was in South Korea, she saw how much the army was stressing me. Told me to I need to get out and chase my dream, so did.. plus all my army battle buddies who have supported me and have just been there. Anne Quatrano who showed my that I was just not bbq that I could do fine dining. I can’t forget Kevin rathbun, because of him I got to do Super Bowl events plus a lot more. He is someone I can call when I need advice, plus he let me borrow 2 high top tables for my house for my dinners. Then Sam Huff taught me old School BBQ and has been a mentor for me since. My family has been some of my biggest supporters on this journey.. The one person who got to see the start of this was my dad the day I lost him I thought I lost everything… Any event I did and my dad could come he would be there for me… I am so blessed to have the support system I have..

Website: Www.hippieheadchef.com

Instagram: @hippieheadchefatl

Facebook: Hippie head chef llc

Youtube: Hippie Head Chef

Other: https://youtu.be/GicG7V0rqIY That’s a interview I did a few years ago.. it explains everything I am trying to do. Thank you for this opportunity