Heaven Sent

A thought of an Atlanta restaurant begins to form. The doors open to an inviting space with walls a lovely shade of lavender. A warm, lightly sweet bread-like smell mixes with the vibrant scent of fresh fruit while people enjoy a delicious mid-morning brunch. The sign on the wall reads “Heaven Sent.”

Soon, that dream will be a reality for Asia Garner. Currently, she works as a personal chef and caterer. Where she cooks the food in her kitchen and takes it to whatever location needs it; her favorite thing about being a chef is seeing people’s reactions when they taste her food.

Born and raised in Ohio, she moved to Altana 6 years ago.

“I have family here, so I always spent summers here,” Garner said. “I knew this was where I wanted to be when I grew up.”

During the pandemic, cooking is where she turned whenever she wanted to do something fun. Then, one evening, when a friend was visiting, Garner saw her looking at social media sights of people selling their food.

“And I was like, ‘Do you think I can do it?'” Garner recalled fondly. “She said, ‘Uh, yeah, I’ve been telling you that!'”

With her encouragement, Garner decided to follow her dreams and pursue a culinary career. Her sister, Althea “Pinkie” Forest, wholeheartedly supported her decision.

“She has that entrepreneurial spirit,” Forest said. “And she’s always been able to cook, ever since she was little.”

Cooking was something Garner held close to her heart. She said her “job” during the holidays was the cake when she was little. So it was a proud day for her when she moved up the macaroni and cheese. Back then, her mother was the cook in the family. Although, they aren’t the only two who share that passion.

Her son is in culinary school, and her brother roped her into partnering in his bar-and-grill, Dreamz, in Ohio in October 2022. Garner opened the kitchen while he did the bar. She flies out frequently to cook specialty dishes – a week or two out of every month.

“It’s kind of challenging,” Garner said. “Being here, running it.”

However, she doesn’t let that slow her down. Between that, her catering, and looking for a location to open Heaven Sent, Garner keeps a full schedule.

According to Forest, being the youngest of the family didn’t stop her from being a born leader and “go-getter.”

“You know what?” Forest said. “We’re having a Paint and Sip Saturday, and we’re making sure she’s gonna come because we know it’s going to run right when she’s there.”

Although Forest is in Ohio now, as soon as Heaven Sent opens, she said she’d run the office.

“With both of them, I make sure I’m right there,” Forest said. “We’re going to be there to assist as much as I can, my mom as well. We’re a family that kind of works with each other. We all try to do our part to help.”

There are many challenges to opening a restaurant. Garner found one of which was writing down all her recipes so everyone could follow them.

“It’s challenging for it to be the same every time because I just know what to do,” Garner said.

But, Kenisha Oliver, long-time best friend and assistant chef on a few catering runs, praised Garner.

“I’ll be like, ‘Girl listen, look how they are,'” Oliver said.

While being a chef might have challenges, Garner always gets raving reviews on her cooking. Oliver said they always approached her afterward, wanting to know who cooked the food so they could book Garner for future events.

Heaven Sent is coming in 2023, and Asia Garner will take Atlanta by storm.