Eat Slow and Break Things
No heroes needed: Atomic Workshop's culinary triangle powers collective brilliance
Chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski . Photo by Adam Brioza.
If you’ve eaten at State Bird Provisions, The Progress, or The Anchovy Bar, you know that no two experiences are the same. One champions an ever-evolving array of small plates, served dim sum-style. Another is an ode to the abundance of Northern California, and the third is a love letter to anchovies and other low-on-the-food-chain ocean catches. Despite their distinct personalities, all are bound by a collaborative spirit that consistently delivers an exceptional experience. At the center is Atomic Workshop Restaurant Group, led by chef-pastry chef duo Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, whose inventive approach to hospitality is redefining restaurants not just in San Francisco, but nationally. Across their trio of restaurants, they’ve earned some of the industry’s highest honors, including a 2025 nomination for the James Beard “Outstanding Restaurateur” Award.
Their philosophy is simple: when you invest in your team, the effects trickle down to the guests. “I think there's a huge benefit to creating places that are happy existences,” says Brioza. Atomic doesn’t just run restaurants; it builds ecosystems where creativity can flourish. One powerful practice they’ve implemented is using internal newsletters, which include snapshots of new dishes, staff spotlights, guest reviews, and even unexpected deep dives—like the story behind the irreverent bathroom art at State Bird. These updates are sent to the entire team across Atomic, giving staff a glimpse into what’s happening beyond their own restaurant. Another major boon in strengthening the sense of community is the commissary kitchen shared by State Bird and The Progress.
“Each kitchen is its own workshop, but they’re all triangulated through the commissary,” says Brioza. This infrastructure enables them to diversify ingredients between the three restaurants. Trim from the chile roja-roasted lamb at The Progress might appear as a Merguez at State Bird. “One of the slogans in the commissary is that the compost bin is a missed creative opportunity.”
Brioza and Krasinski already hold a 2015 James Beard Award for Best Chef: West for State Bird, but while they’ve never chased awards, the latest nomination feels different “in a very mature way,” says Brioza. “It’s pretty empowering.” The Outstanding Restaurateur award celebrates not only chefs, but visionaries who are shaping the future of hospitality; those who showcase creativity in leadership and use their establishments to build community. This kind of recognition isn’t just about what’s on the plate—it’s an affirmation of the people, culture, and systems they’ve built around it.
“We're not those scrappy young cooks anymore,” Brioza explains. Their view of what it means to be a chef has also shifted, from the longtime stereotype of the one tethered to the stove every night, to being architects of a culture where everyone can thrive. Brioza likens a chef’s career to a marathon. “You don’t sprint a marathon,” he says. “In your 20s, you’re sprinting every single day.” Krasinski adds, “When I look back on the years I did that, there's not a day that I regret doing that...but there is a point where it's okay in your career for that to [shift].” They have worked hard to establish a framework that supports the concept of evolution in their restaurants.
“Heroism in restaurants is a romantic idea, but at the end of the day, it fizzles out because it’s too much on one person... I think the secret to our success is that everybody’s supported, and nobody [has] to be a hero.”
The transition from wide-eyed cooks to thoughtful leaders is also one that Brioza and Krasinski find joy in guiding. “After 35 years of cooking, it's fun to navigate those waters with our chefs and see them have those same successes that we had,” Brioza says, referring to those exciting moments of discovery and the process of rendering instincts into recipes. They have also noticed that younger chefs increasingly use personal storytelling to shape their culinary identities. “Something very unique to San Francisco is the diversity,” he explains. “What’s amazing is when you see people do a deep dive into their own heritage, but contemporize it through a lens of, perhaps, what they've learned in restaurants like ours.” State Bird has had a lasting impact on San Francisco’s dining scene in that sense, by proving that with enough heart and soul, anything is possible. Brioza also says that authenticity doesn't start at the beginning. “It's something you evolve into, and that's the journey that I think is really fascinating for young chefs.”
The restaurants under Atomic offer a refreshing vision of what the industry could be. Though Brioza and Krasinski jokingly refer to themselves as “old timers,” they are undeniably part of the new guard, representing a shift away from the cult of the chef model toward something more sustainable and collaborative. And while they may not take themselves too seriously, they’re serious about building restaurants that feel like happy, lasting places for the people who power them. “We’ve worked really hard to create businesses that we can step to the side of a bit, where people love working,” Brioza explains. These are places where people want to stay, grow, and lead, and where community comes before ego. It’s simple, he says. “Happy cooks make happy food.”