Creative Loafing’s Omnivore blog reports that Watershed employees were informed today that the Decatur mainstay restaurant would close for good next Saturday.

A message on the Watershed website confirms it.

One of Atlanta’s most iconic southern restaurants reveals its plans for relocation in Atlanta. The new location (to be announced) will combine a fine dining experience with a casual and comfortable atmosphere. The “new” Watershed will continue to serve the outstanding southern-inspired cuisine it has become famous for, including the award winning Southern Fried Chicken and Sunday Brunch. The restaurant design will offer guests a vibrant bar, spacious dining room, large outdoor patio, and ample parking. It will also include a private dining room where neighborhood residents, businesses and other community groups will be able to entertain, conduct business meetings, or celebrate special occasions. Owner Emily Saliers commented, “While it was not an easy decision to leave Decatur, we are unable to offer our guests these added amenities in our current location. We are deeply grateful to the Decatur community for 13 years of support.” Watershed’s Decatur location will be closing after dinner on Saturday evening August 6th so that the owners can begin working on the new restaurant which they anticipate opening by the end of the year.

I guess all good things come to an end, but this will certainly shock more than a couple Decaturites used to their Tuesday Fried Chicken and Sunday brunch.  While Brick Store is largely credited with the revival of the Decatur pub scene, Scott Peacock’s Watershed is generally often cited for making Decatur a high-end dining destination.

In this morning’s New York Times travel section, Kim Severson takes a look at Atlanta’s food scene from a national perspective and determines that Atlanta “is a bit defensive about its food”, but, “…over the past few years, Atlanta has experienced a notable upgrade in ambition that reflects a new kind of sophisticated Southern sensibility centered on the farm but experienced in the city.”  (And yes, as you might expect, Scott Peacock’s name is mentioned in the next sentence.)

But Peacock’s left us for documentary filmmaker pastures over a year ago, and the meat (or should I say “guts”?) of this article centers around three, current and thriving Atlanta restaurants, farm-to-tabling it with the best of ’em.

Nestled right next to the Atlanta city limits, Decatur is the love child of Berkeley and Mayberry. Along with the newly fashionable West End of the city, it’s where Atlantans are eating. And if they’re lucky enough to get a table, they slip inside this 1,000-square-foot corner shop and let Billy Allin, the chef, take care of them.

The washed ebony tabletops and little zinc-topped bar offer an appeal almost as immediate as the little gougères, filled with warm cheese, and the fried rice balls called arancini (with fennel pollen!) that will help you make it through the cocktail list.

The food here rarely overreaches, and it’s driven by what is growing in the local fields, including the garden behind the house Mr. Allin shares with his wife, Kristin, and their children.

Thanks to Commissioner Patti Garrett pointing out the link!

From John Kessler’s Food and More blog…

Today Watershed restaurant in Decatur announces the appointment of chef Joe Truex as its new chef and operating partner. He replaces Scott Peacock, who left the restaurant in February after 11 years, to pursue a documentary film project and begin working on a memoir. Truex, who has run Repast restaurant with his wife, Mihoko Obunai-Truex for the past four years, will assume the position June 1.

Both Truex, who currently resides in Decatur, and managing partner Emily Saliers relay to Kessler that changing up the menu more frequently will be a key component of evolving the restaurant in a post-Peacock era.

Watershed has an official press release on their website.

For even more info on Truex check out his now former restaurant Repast’s menu HERE.  Additionally, Kessler wrote an extensive profile of Truex for the AJC just this past March, after traveling with the chef to his hometown in Louisiana.

Admittedly, I don’t know too much about the lives, pressures and influences on a professional chef, but Scott Peacock’s stated reason for leaving Watershed seems unique.

He isn’t taking his talents to a more popular food city or trying out for Iron Chef.  Instead, he’s leaving the Decatur restaurant so he can capture a disappearing folk culture.  From a recent Access Atlanta interview…

But his project, where he crisscrosses his native Alabama talking to its most senior residents about their stories and memories revolving around food, seems pressing. One interview subject passed away before he could record her on film, making Peacock realize what a “narrow window of time” he had to complete the work.

He’s been in talks with Alabama Public Television and the Sundance film festival and has shown early cuts to select viewers.

“It’s starting to catch on. My goal is to have 100 interviews by the end of the year. I have 35 now.”

Now, such a project certainly can’t hurt Peacock’s professional career, either from an inspirational or public image standpoint.  But make no mistake, capturing interviews of the southern foodways is no walk in the park.  It’s a taxing and difficult undertaking, and something you really need to have a passion for to pursue.  These days it seems that documenting folklife is most often reserved for freshly motivated graduate students.

Anyway, best of luck to Peacock on this new chapter.  I’ll be very interested to see the results of his labor.

From the New York Times Diner’s Journal…

My chef friend Scott Peacock called today to confirm that he has resigned from the Watershed restaurant in Atlanta to pursue new projects.

Scott had been with Watershed for 11 years, during which the restaurant become known for its interpretations of Southern food, including fried chicken, which regularly sells out on Tuesday nights, the only night it is available. Last week, the James Beard Foundation named him a semi-finalist in the Outstanding Chef category, a nationwide award.

Emily Saliers, a co-owner of Watershed, gave me a follow-up call this afternoon. She is one half of the Indigo Girls, and is in Miami getting ready for one of their concerts tonight. She called the separation “amicable.” The crew at the Watershed, which is accustomed to working without Mr. Peacock when he travels, will continue to put out the same food while Ms. Saliers and her co-owner, Ross Jones, search for a new executive chef.

According to the post, Peacock’s future plans include working on a documentary and writing books.

Thanks to Amanda for forwarding.

Two Decatur chefs are listed among the semi-finalists for this year’s James Beard Foundation awards.

• Scott Peacock of Watershed fame is one of 20 semi-finalists in the Outstanding Chefs category.
• Cakes & Ale’s Billy Allin is one of 20 semi-finalists in the “Best Chef: Southeast” category.

Peacock was an “Outstanding Chef” semi-finalist last year as well. This is Allin’s first nomination.

Congrats to both Decatur semi-finalists!

Jump over to CL’s Omnivore (who also gets the hat-tip!) for a wrap-up of all nominated chef’s with kitchens around Atlanta.  And for the full list of semi-finalists across the nation, click here (PDF).

Photos ripped from the restaurants’ respective websites.

According to her website, Scott Peacock is the featured chef on The Martha Stewart Show today.

Watch the episode and get Scott’s great-grandmother’s recipe for Chicken and Dumplings.  Or just click this link!