Princeton Saunders | Southern Foodways Alliance arrow left envelope headphones search facebook instagram twitter flickr menu rss play circle itunes calendar

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Career Servers

ORAL HISTORY

Princeton Saunders


Princeton Saunders, born in 1969, was raised in New Jersey and New York. His paternal grandparents owned a restaurant in North Carolina, His maternal grandmother cooked elaborate meals for the family in New Jersey. His parents loved fine dining and fostered that love in their children. Enrolled in a program in Morehouse, Saunders joined the food and beverage industry in 1990 picking up service jobs at Underground Atlanta restaurants. Ultimately, he was drawn to the camaraderie that restaurants provided.

In 1993, Saunders took his first fine dining position at Veni, Vidi, Vici, an Italian restaurant in Atlanta. In 1996, Saunders headed west to Aspen, Colorado to work for Charles Dale at the Renaissance Restaurant and Bistro. The lure of the New York restaurant scene proved too strong to resist. In 2002 Saunders moved there to work with Sam Hazen at Tao and with the Tower Group as a waiter and a manager. In 2011, Saunders came back to Atlanta and took a job at Sotto Sotto. In 2012, Saunders began working as a server at Miller Union. He takes pride in using his knowledge of food, wine, and service to provide an excellent experience for his guests.

Date of interview:
2019-09-23

Interviewer:
Annemarie Anderson

Photographer:
Henri Hollis

Download Transcript

Other Project Interviews

WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN CULTIVATE PROGRESS.

The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Alex Raij Txikito

Let’s Stay in Touch


Sign up for the SFA newsletter to have the latest content
delivered directly to your inbox.