Famous Atlanta chef found dead

ATLANTA — One of the most notable names in Atlanta’s restaurant community has died. Angus Brown, chef and co-owner of 8Arm and Octopus Bar, was found unresponsive by his girlfriend Wednesday morning, according to police.

The cause of death has not been confirmed, however, the units that responded to the scene said they found it to be consistent with that of a medical, overdose death.

Small amounts of narcotics were located at the scene, according to police.

Brown’s business partner, Nhan Le, issued the following statement: “We’re devastated and heartbroken. Angus will forever be remembered for his generosity of spirit, enthusiasm, and extraordinary talent. His favorite place was in the kitchen, and he was someone that everyone wanted to be around. We’ll miss him every day.”

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Brown and Le have been business partners since 2011, when they opened late-night hot spot Octopus Bar in East Atlanta.

They followed that with Lusca in 2014, and despite the south Buckhead eatery being named a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist as a Best New Restaurant in 2015, its doors shut in early 2016.

The duo opened 8Arm, an edgy cafe, on Ponce de Leon this past summer, and had announced plans to open a cafe called Ama in Paris on Ponce.

“I was always a champion of his stuff,” said former AJC dining editor John Kessler.

Kessler called Brown, who grew up in Buckhead and got his start at Miller Union, “a true Atlantan.”

“That was what is so cool about 8Arm -- it was real Atlanta. There’s this great feeling of homegrown quality to it.” said Kessler who ate there two weeks ago during a brief visit to Atlanta. “It was great. It felt so right.”

Local chefs and restaurant industry workers are sharing their condolences on Brown’s Facebook page:

Steven Satterfield, executive chef at Miller Union, where Brown got his start:

Chad Clevenger, executive chef at Alma Cocina:

Julie Pender, who works at Ria’s Bluebird:

Information from Ligaya Figueras's report with The Atlanta Journal Constitution was used in this report. 

Cox Media Group