Jerry Slater wears Kempt.
If you’ve ever strolled through the quaint neighborhood of Five Points, you’ve already seen the impact Jerry Slater has had on the food scene in Athens, Georgia. His restaurants - The Expat and Slater’s Steakhouse are keystones in the dining ecosystem of Athens. Along with his wife, and business partner, Krista, The Slaters’ empire reaches beyond the limits of Five Points. The Lark Winespace brings responsibly sourced wine to Prince Avenue, and Nighthawks Lounge - the Kempt crew’s favorite spot - takes cocktails to another level on the outskirts of Boulevard.
We met Jerry at Nighthawks on a Monday afternoon and found him casually yet meticulously preparing a cocktail. His comfort in the space is apparent, dressed in relaxed yet elevated white pants, a pair of suede tennis shoes, and finished with a railroad stripe chore jacket - fitting right in with the hum of the train tracks seen out of the bar window.
Photography by Matt Golden from @goldenfilmco
Being in a restaurant is second nature to Jerry, starting his first service job at just age five. His mother worked as a “fixer” for struggling restaurants during his childhood, and as is the case in so many family businesses, Jerry was put to work early.
“[When I was] five, the dish washer called out, and mom had no babysitter, so she put me on a milk crate and I ran dishes all night… at the end of the night, all of the waitresses gave me a kiss on the cheek and a five dollar bill and I was like, ‘I’m in.’”
Jerry would go on to work in other restaurants throughout his youth, including a stint at an Italian restaurant where he “made 400 garlic knots a day for a year”. He earned a degree in Literature from Purdue University Northwest before heading south for Atlanta
“I married my wife in Atlanta, and then I think we were both ready to get out of Atlanta. Atlanta didn’t stick for me necessarily, but Athens really did.”
With his parents having lived in the neighboring Morgan County for 35 years, Jerry was familiar with Athens. “You had to get out of the house, and [Athens] was 20 minutes down the road. I think I even saw Clerks at the Georgia Theatre when it was still a movie theatre.” Jerry laughs. For Jerry and Krista, Athens was exactly the place where they wanted to establish roots – it provided the vibrant culture and tight-knit community they were looking for.
Since 2018, the Slaters have made their mark on Athens, with four flourishing businesses and more plans on the horizon. Soon they are expanding the offerings near The Lark Winespace by adding Dovetail Market - a project with Fritz Gibson of beloved Half-Shepherd Market & Cheese Shop fame.
“It'll have the market aspect, but it'll also have a lunch and dinner quality to it as well, especially the dinner where you can come in and get a pasta or a salad, but also go next door to Lark first and BYOB, just a very casual neighborhood spot.” Count us in, y’all.
There are a lot of perks to this job, but so far one of the highlights has been getting to sit down for a Monday martini, with the man himself. Hearing about his love for this city, his upbringing that seemed to steer him exactly to where he’s supposed to be, his love for a tavern style Chicago pizza and his plans for the future… For Jerry Slater, there’s always something in Athens worth dressing up for, and at Kempt we couldn’t agree more.
Shop Jerry’s collection here.