For Larry Epps, executive chef of the Copper Jacket at Governors Gun Club in Kennesaw, Mondays aren’t really a day off so much as a day for unsupervised play. The restaurant closes, the members stay home, and Epps—who’s been steering the menu here since 2017—sneaks back into the kitchen anyway, tinkering with new cuts and recipes nobody’s ordered yet.
“This is the only day I don’t have to worry about our members and guests,” he says. “I can just come play in the kitchen by myself.”
It’s a fitting habit for a chef whose entire philosophy boils down to doing the simple things exceptionally well. Epps came up grilling steaks for family in the backyard before catching the bug professionally at Mick’s at Underground Atlanta, where he met chef and mentor Steven Dudley—the late chef Epps credits with first bringing white-tablecloth dining to Cobb County at Capers and Fish Thyme…