Paul Albrecht (Retired) – Formerly Pano’s & Paul’s

Paul Albrecht was born and raised in Bavaria to parents who were restaurateurs. He graduated from the Hotel & Restaurant School in Munich, Germany and apprenticed in four different restaurants in Germany and Switzerland. He worked his way up to sous chef at both Beau Rivage and Restaurant Grand Chêne, both in Lausanne, Switzerland. He moved to the USA to take a position as executive sous chef at the Hotel Sonesta in Washington DC, where he met Pano Karatassos, who was the executive chef. Later, Paul progressed to the position of executive chef at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Missouri, while Pano became the director of Food and Beverage.

It was there that they began to talk about a partnership relationship. In 1979, they opened Pano’s & Paul’s Restaurant in Atlanta, winning all sorts of awards. In 1995, the Great Chefs Television crew showed up at Pano’s & Paul’s to tape Chef Albrecht for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs – Great Cities series. By that time, both gentlemen had formed the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, expanding to more than a dozen restaurants, however Chef Paul remained at their first restaurant.

In 1998, Chef Albrecht left to open a restaurant in Florida, only to return to Atlanta in 2002 to be executive chef at Spice, then on to Paul’s Restaurant in Peachtree Hills in 2005, and Social Vinings in 2008. In December of 2015, Paul’s Restaurant closed and Chef Albrecht retired.