Beyond raising his two kids, Alan Natkiel, owner of Georgia’s Northside Southern Kitchen & Beer Market, considers the dedication and love he puts into his Concord establishment as equal to caring for a third child.

For six years, Georgia’s Northside has offered barbecue cuisine and drinks as a take-out restaurant, but Natkiel has decided to move on to a new chapter in the food industry and close the storefront, channeling his love for Georgia’s into new endeavors.

When the restaurant closes this Saturday, Natkiel will leap into focusing on catering and cooking classes.

“I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve kind of accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. And now it’s what can I do that’s the most fun?” he said.

While continuing his catering business, Natkiel wants to lean further into hosting parties and putting more work into his cooking courses. He also hopes to dedicate more time to his family and teenage sons.

“I want to make sure that they have as much ownership of my person as the shop does,” he said.

Georgia’s Northside started hosting cooking classes in January 2023 on Fridays and for special occasions, holding Mardi Gras and Super Bowl-themed classes. Going forward, Natkiel envisions more accessible options for the Concord community.

The classes previously lasted three hours and cost around $125, but he hopes to cut the time in half and decrease the price by $50. He plans to start offering his cooking courses on Sunday, June 15, which is Father’s Day, and consistently on Sundays after that. Eventually, he said will open up Friday nights for classes as well.

Just as he originally planned to bring some more food diversity to south-central New Hampshire after being exposed to southern barbecue in college, he hopes these classes will be a way to share his passion for cooking.

“They’re going to get to eat and get to have some entertainment. And I love my hometown, but I don’t think anyone who’s from here says there’s too many places ... to eat or there’s too much stuff to do,” he said.

He plans to reopen the storefront for holidays such as Saint Patrick’s Day and other celebrations throughout the year.

“I’ll always, while I have a kitchen, do stuff with community support,” he said.

Community has been a motivator for Natkiel ever since he opened his first restaurant in New York in 2007. He said he felt proud that his original store became a community hub, which was something he wanted to bring to Concord.

“I knew that if I end up coming back to New Hampshire, I would have much more stable ability to develop community relations that are going to still be in the community in three years, or ten years,” he said.

During the pandemic, the newly-opened Georgia’s Northside leaned into connecting with the community. Natkiel kept the restaurant open and ran a robust takeout business, allowing him to continue sharing food with those in Concord.

“I think a lot of people don’t recognize how much enjoyment that they will receive in validation and gratification actually helping other people,” he said.

He remembered dropping off surprise meals to one of the local Market Basket, the police station and the emergency room.

As the world started to open up again, Natkeil held fundraisers for the Concord Fire Department and contests for locals to participate and win catering packages. This is something he said will work continue as his business transitions.

While excited for this next step, he is nervous about what the future may hold, but is used to unknown territory after he moved his beloved barbecue joint from New York City to Concord.

“There is anxiety about the future because it’s unknown of how things are going to settle. I like regularity. I love new things. I don’t like change. I would like to know where everything is. And from that position of comfort and security, I would like to try something new, but bring it back to my total stable place,” he said.

But he feels heartened by the community encouragement he has received over the past six years.

“The community supported this restaurant,” Natkiel said. “There’s a lot of them. They have burger choices all over town, but they do spend their money here because they like us and they support us.”

Natkeil is ready to keep putting his all into his evolving business.

“There’s a saying – it’s not at all true. ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ It’s the opposite of that...If you love what you do, you’ll work harder at everything in your life.”

Kiera McLaughlin can be reached at kmclaughlin@cmonitor.com