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Fan Male: Steve Nygren
by H.M. Cauley
January 1, 2005
I
n the late 1980s, Steve Nygren's name was synonymous with the comfort of food. As a
partner in the Peasant restaurant chain, he built a reputation for fine dining and service.
Fast forward 14 years, and his focus has shifted beyond food to the comfort of living well.
But Nygren's vision is not one of luxury residences and upscale amenities; rather, he's looking to
create a country lifestyle that crosses all economic ranges. His plan for the Chattahoochee Hill
Country in south Fulton County harks back to the day when the village was the center of life for a
diverse mix of people.
The
first piece of Nygren's Hill Country puzzle is underway, with 224 homes going up around spaces that
will house restaurants, art galleries, an art center, a health spa and a wellness center.
The concept grew out of Nygren's concern for the area, where he moved 11 years ago with his
wife Marie to open the Serenbe Bed and Breakfast and Conference Center in Palmetto. Watching
Atlanta's sprawl spread into the county, he was determined to do something different in his own
backyard, where he owns about 1,000 acres. His idea: Create a master plan that balances
preservation with development by dotting the countryside with villages and hamlets, horse farms,
woods and organic farms instead of treeless subdivisions.
Nygren organized neighbors in support of the idea and convinced the Fulton County Planning
Commission to back it unanimously. The result will be, he predicts, "one of the sexiest parts of
metro Atlanta."
But the basis of his concept lies not in those sexy amenities that will attract buyers.
Instead, the heart of the idea comes from his own children.
"We brought them here at a young age (five, seven and nine) and asked them what they liked
best about living here," recalls Nygren. "I thought they'd say having horses and bunnies, but
instead, they said it was the freedom. And in that freedom is a real relationship with nature. We
have come so far from rural nature that there are kids who come to our B-and-B who have never
touched a cow or horse, seen a sheep or gone into the henhouse to see where an egg comes from."
Raising children in the country brings another advantage, Nygren has found.
"They quickly learn that if an animal isn't fed or a plant isn't watered, it dies," he says.
"And you never have to teach them about responsibility - or sex!"
