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Burgers with Buck: Gabriel's

By Buck Lanford
Published  February 21, 2019 9:26pm EST
Burgers With Buck
FOX 5 Atlanta

MARIETTA, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Apparently cooking runs in the family. Johnnie Gabriel-McCann and celebrity chef Paula Deen are cousins. You are likely well aware of Deen’s resume, but her cuz has got a pretty strong following in her own right, and it is well deserved.

Years ago, Johnnie started making baked goods out of her home. They were delicious and popular and it wasn’t long before she needed to expand to a full-size brick and mortar store to satisfy customer demand, and Gabriel’s Bakery was born.

The concept continued to thrive and evolve, and soon Gabriel’s Bakery became Gabriel’s Restaurant and Bakery serving delicious southern dishes including fried chicken, meatloaf, fresh vegetables, and so much more . . . and by more, of course, I mean burgers.

#BurgersWithBuck checked out the highly acclaimed JG Burger (named for Johnnie Gabriel).

Take two large patties, and cover them with a heaping helping of house-made pimento cheese (a family recipe that dates back to at least the 1940’s), add thick cut bacon, arugula, tomato and mayo, and serve it all on a butter toasted brioche bun, and you get the very messy, but very delicious JG Burger. (I may or may not have gotten pimento cheese on my nose. You’ll have to click on the story to find out for sure.)

It is served with either fries or house chips. For the record, #BWB opted for the house chips and was very pleased with that decision.

The cool thing is that no matter how much the business has grown and evolved, she has never forgotten that it all started as a bakery, and her legendary fresh strawberry cake, red velvet cupcakes, and lemon glazed pound cakes will always be staples.

For more information on Gabriel’s Restaurant and Bakery, including the menu and hours of operation, go to their website, http://gabrielsdesserts.com/ . And, as always, if you have a favorite burger that you would like to see featured on, tell me about it on https://www.facebook.com/BuckFOX5 or https://twitter.com/BuckFOX5, and don't forget to use the hashtag #BurgersWithBuck and/or #BWB.