About Kelly

Kelly Goggin
Owner & Executive Chef

With a little more than a decade of experience behind her, Kelly Goggin has spent less than half of her career in the kitchen - not the pedigree one would expect from most other accomplished chefs like Goggin. That's because this self-taught executive chef and owner of AMBRA restaurant graduated with a business degree in finance and spent her early career crunching numbers and brokering deals. Today, Goggin is spending most of her time in the kitchen and in front of her hickory wood burning grill creating flavorful feasts for her growing number of customers who are devoted to one of Atlanta's newest dining spots.

A daughter of an Air Force pilot, Goggin traveled throughout the country and Europe growing up and living in California; Texas; Stuttgart, Germany; Virginia and Kansas. Born into a family where food and entertaining were always at the center, Goggin was influenced by the discriminating tastes and cooking talents of family members including her grandfather, mother and uncle.

After a successful career in the world of finance, Goggin 'retired' to the kitchen where she met well-known and respected restaurateur Tom Catherall who gave Goggin the formal training she needed to eventually open her own Atlanta eatery in 1997 - Highland Wraps & Pizza Kitchen. Goggin quickly realized her love and passion for food and people and made a successful run at her first restaurant venture on Virginia Avenue in Atlanta's trendy Virginia-Highlands neighborhood (Won 'Best Neighborhood' Restaurant in 1998).

In 2002, having a vision for a restaurant with a casual, yet elegant theme featuring upscale food at affordable prices, Goggin opened AMBRA located in the heart of Atlanta's trendy West Side. At AMBRA, Goggin has come full circle - bringing together the richness of her life, her travels, and her love of cuisine from around the world - to make an exceptionally wonderful place for locals and visitors to enjoy what Goggin explains as her personal food style, "simple, quality and without the fuss."

A true pioneer in many ways, Goggin is blazing the trail of fine cuisine along the streets of Atlanta's West Side and is enjoying her success alongside her talented and committed staff who is keeping customers happy. As long as Goggin stays in the kitchen, away from Wall Street, and follows her father's advice - "Go to bed early, tomorrow will be a new and great day!" - we can always expect great things at AMBRA.