Meet Chef Bob Ryan of Little Sparrow!

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Little Sparrow, Ford Fry's newest restaurant, opened in Fall of 2023 and took over the space in West Midtown that formerly housed Fry's JCT Kitchen. The French brasserie is the sister restaurant to Marcel, which is just around the corner in the Westside Provisions District.

Chef Bob Ryan of Little Sparrow wrote a Brown Butter Pork meal kit recipe for G&G, complete with pommes dauphinoise and roasted Brussels sprouts. We asked Chef Bob a few questions about the restaurant and how he got started in the food world–keep reading to get the inside scoop!

What was it like to open a new restaurant in old JCT space? Is Little Sparrow anything like the old JCT?

It was very exciting to be in a spot that had such a great history in Atlanta. It came with many challenges, but was very rewarding. There is essentially nothing that resembles JCT. It’s the same building, so there might be some familiarity, but the food, service, and atmosphere is very different.

What were the inspirations behind Little Sparrow and its name?

It just made sense for the neighborhood. JCT filled a gap when it opened in 2007, and we felt that the neighborhood needed something different with the dramatic growth on the westside. Little Sparrow was the nickname of Edith Piaf, the mistress of French Boxer Marcel Cerdan, which is the namesake of our steakhouse across the bridge. Marcel is hugely popular, and is great for celebrations, such as birthdays and anniversaries. We wanted to create an atmosphere similar to Marcel, but a little more approachable for the everyday diner.

How would you describe the menu at Little Sparrow? What was running through your mind as you created it?

We started out thinking a lot about being Marcel’s “sister restaurant”. The conversation went from there, to classic French bistros. My background is very French, so that was very natural. I didn’t want to pigeonhole us by being strictly French, so we started expanding outwards. We were also very inspired by great NYC restaurants and taverns. So there is a little bit of European, a little bit of New York, but the bottom line is that its just very classic, good food.

How did you first get into cooking? Did you always know you wanted to be a chef?

I started in fast food as a very young teenager, and had no desire to pursue it any further. I then found myself working as a dishwasher in my high school’s kitchen, which turned into cooking 3 meals a day for about 150 students. I still had no desire to pursue it further. After high school I needed a job so I ended up in a restaurant again because it was familiar. At this point, I realized I didn’t have any better plans so I made the commitment to stick with it, and that’s when this whole world really opened up to me.

Tell us about Bar Blanc upstairs! What’s your favorite cocktail to sip on while there?

Bar Blanc is a great place to be! We have a prix fixe menu that starts with a simple salad of local greens, and hot, crispy sourdough baguette with delicious butter and olive oil. The next course is steak frites with bearnaise. The steak changes periodically, but it’s always Prime, and often we have “more luxurious” cuts available. The frites are never ending, so if you finish them and want more we happily will send more out.

The atmosphere is pretty special, outside we have a huge tent with a beautiful outdoor dining room. Inside is a little more intimate, with a bar that is walk up only. We are also open a little bit later at Bar Blanc than we are at Little Sparrow.

As for cocktails, The orange cream fizz is amazing. This is one of our N/A cocktails, it’s so bright and refreshing, especially outside under the tent. It’s based off of a ramos gin fizz, just minus the alcohol obviously.

What is your number one piece of cooking advice for our home chefs?

Keep it simple, and try not to do it alone. The best part about cooking at home is the people you get to share it with afterwards, and it is even more rewarding to include them in the process.

What are some of your favorite spots to hang out around Atlanta?

I moved away from Atlanta for 10 years and when I came back the city was so different. There has been so much growth and so many new exciting things to do. I’ve been back for 3 years and I still feel like I have a lot to catch up on. I have two young boys and season tickets to the Zoo, so we are there every Sunday morning. If my wife and I ever get time away, we basically have a never ending list of new restaurants to try.