Charlotte's setting the table with bold flavor
Savor Something New
The Queen City isn't just coming into its own. It's officially arrived. Charlotte is making national headlines for its dishes, drinks and culinary talent.
With James Beard and MICHELIN-recognized restaurants, the freshest and best Piedmont ingredients, cocktails with skyline views and a new season of Top Chef: Carolinas filmed here, the Queen City isn't a hidden gem, it's the whole crown.
Meet the Chefs & Mixologists
Chef Callan Buckles
RadaCallan Buckles is the Executive Chef at Rada in Charlotte, NC. Growing up in Seattle, he was involved in restaurants from a young age. Getting into the industry at 14 years old, he never attended culinary school, opting to learn directly from his chefs and peers. At the age of 21 in pursuit of greater experience he moved to New York City where he worked at Momofuku Nishi and The Four Horseman. In 2020, pandemic related circumstances landed him back on the west coast in Napa Valley where he worked as a Sous Chef for Christopher Kostow at The Charter Oak. A few years later he found himself pulled back to NYC where he became the Chef De Cuisine at Claud and helped to open their sister restaurant, Penny, just upstairs. When his wife Emily became pregnant, they moved to Charlotte to be closer to her family. Callan opened Rada in January of 2025 with his brother-in-law Eloy Roy, which has been featured in the NYT 2025 Restaurant List, and was recommended in the inaugural Michelin Guide for the American South.
Chef Brittany Cochran
StagioniLike so many Chefs, Brittany Cochran discovered her passion for food at a young age. Beside her grandparents in rural Ohio, she learned to "plow, plant and pick" the ingredients for most of the family meals. It wasn't fancy or owing to any specific cultural heritage, it was just simple, fresh dishes made from scratch... with lots of love. "I call it cooking from the heart; caring about the food you serve and the people you're feeding. If I have a style, I guess that would be it," she explains. And Chef Brittany's respect for ingredients wasn't just limited to the garden; foraging, hunting and fishing were all part of her childhood food experiences. I got my first shotgun for my 8th birthday. I already had my hunting and fishing license by then." Brittany learned about more than how to butcher her own meats and seafood, she learned a deep respect for her ingredients. "When you know where your food comes from... when you know who raised it, gathered it, and brought it to the kitchen door... you tend to care a little more. That means doing things the right way, not the easiest way." Brittany's culinary skills and talent were recognized early on. In High School she volunteered to work at a tournament at the Jack Nicklaus' Golf Club. Before the tournament was over, she was hired to work in the kitchen. Her next big break came in the form of a scholarship to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC, where she excelled as a student and worked part-time for local Italian chef Luca Annunziata. Cochran points out, "So many things about authentic Italian cuisine clicked for me; the tradition of cooking with the seasons to utilize the freshest ingredients - the idea of making everything by hand - it's really what cooking from the heart means to me. So it's no surprise that, out of all the job offers she received, she accepted a position at New York City's famed Italian spot Restaurant Marc Forgione, working under Forgione himself. "The restaurant taught me how to cook at the highest level, under intense pressure. But it was Chef Marc who taught me how to be a leader." Chef Brittany draws on those leadership skills everyday as Executive Chef at Charlotte's Stagioni, probably why her kitchen boasts such a low turnover rate. "Bruce Moffett (owner of Stagioni) is a chef's chef. He wants to see you master the classic techniques and dishes before you start interpreting them with creativity… which is where we are now.” “I love to tweak a traditional approach or substitute an unexpected ingredient, and see if it improves the dish. Taking something familiar and elevating it with little surprise... finding a fresh take... is so rewarding because it can really make a dish memorable. That's the difference we strive for ” Cochran makes out a difference outside of the restaurant, too. She has long been involved in the fight against childhood cancer as a founding member and Charlotte Chair for the national charity Cookies For Kids’ Cancer. “I’ve learned how to raise awareness, raise money and make a difference” she proudly exclaims. Chef Brittany is also a proud member of the LGBTQ community and a tireless advocate for a diverse and inclusive food and beverage community. “I wanted this restaurant to be a welcoming and nourishing place or everyone… meaning customers and employees. I think it’s important for the restaurant to look like the community it serves in terms of diversity. If you focus on better policies, you get better people… from all walks of life!” she explains before adding: “I know it works because we are the proof!”
Chris Coleman
Chiefs, Folia, Old Town Kitchen & Cocktails, The Goodyear HouseA Charlotte native, Chef Chris Coleman developed his love for local ingredients and community through summers spent on his grandparents’ farm. He began his culinary career at 14 and honed his skills at Charlotte institutions including The McNinch House, where he became head chef at just 21. Coleman went on to open The Asbury at The Dunhill Hotel, earning multiple Charlotte Magazine “Best of the Best” awards, and later served as Director of Culinary Experience at Charlotte Marriott City Center, helping lead the Red Domino project that reinvented food and beverage for Marriott international through the development of Stoke, Stoke Bar, and Coco and the Director at Marriott’s M Beta Hotel in Uptown Charlotte. In 2020, he co-founded The Goodyear House in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. In 2021, he and his partners founded Built On Hospitality, LLC and opened Old Town Kitchen & Cocktails in Rock Hill, S.C. In 2024, they added Folia and Chief’s Modern Cocktail Parlor, cocktail lounges in South End and NoDa, respectively. He has appeared — and won — on multiple Food Network shows, including Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Alex vs. America, and SuperChef Grudge Match. Coleman lives in Charlotte with his wife and two children, Luke and Ellie.
Mixologist Justin Hazleton
Lorem IpsumJustin Hazelton is an award-winning mixologist and hospitality creative who has been shaping the beverage landscape since 2012. Known for his thoughtful, music-driven approach to cocktails and space-making, Justin has worked with some of the Southeast’s most forward-thinking, cocktail-focused concepts and is widely respected for pairing elevated technique with intentional culture. Over the course of his career, he has managed beverage programs at several of Charlotte, North Carolina’s top restaurants and held the role of Beverage Director across multiple concepts—developing systems, mentoring teams, and building bars with long-term vision. In 2023, Justin founded Lorem Ipsum Listening Bar, a vinyl-forward listening bar rooted in sound, design, and hospitality as a form of storytelling. Under his leadership, Lorem Ipsum has quickly gained national recognition and was named one of Esquire’s Best Bars in America (2025)—a distinction that solidified the bar’s place among the country’s most culturally relevant drinking spaces. The bar has also been widely praised for its curated programming, art-forward events, and its role in Charlotte’s creative community. With over 15 years in the hospitality industry, Justin has consistently pushed bar programs forward - innovating operations while delivering memorable, high-quality cocktail experiences. Justin has been featured across both local and national platforms. His work has appeared on the Discovery+ series Hungry for Answers and in publications including Imbibe Magazine, Liquor.com, Thrillist, and Eater, positioning him as a leading voice in contemporary cocktail culture and experiential hospitality.
Mixologist Colleen Hughes
Haberdish, Ever Andalo, Growlers Pourhouse, Supperland, Leluia HallColleen Hughes has been with the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group for 15 years, and she oversees the bar programs at Haberdish, Ever Andalo, Growlers Pourhouse, Supperland, and Leluia Hall. She and her cocktails have been featured in a variety of publications from The Local Palate to Garden & Gun, Popular Science and the USA Today. In 2022, Colleen was named "Cocktail Guru of the Year by Esquire, the same year Supperland made their "Best New Restaurants in America" list. In 2023, she passed her Bar Ready exam, and in 2025, she was nominated for a James Beard Award in a new category: Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. Most recently, Colleen became the 2025 MICHELIN Guide American South Exceptional Cocktails Award Winner.
Mixologist Colleen Hughes
Haberdish, Ever Andalo, Growlers Pourhouse, Supperland, Leluia Hall
Chef Chayil Johnson
Community MattersChayil Johnson is the Executive Chef of Community Matters Cafe in Uptown Charlotte and an adjunct culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales University Charlotte. Originally hailing from Laplace Louisiana, he is strongly infl uenced by his cultural upbringing in the Greater New Orleans area. His food often showing his Louisiana roots with Cajun and Creole cuisine, while being collaborative with his love of Middle Eastern and Northern African cuisine. Community Matters Café works with the men and women of the Charlotte Rescue Mission who are battling substance abuse and addiction, by teaching life skills and developing them in the Cafe through training in hospitality and culinary arts. Chayil is an Alumnus of Johnson & Wales University (Class of "18) A 2025 James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast 2021 NCRLA "Best Chef" runner-up
Chef Andres Kaifer
CustomshopFrom learning the basics from his mother to his first restaurant job at age 15 to graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Andres Kaifer has committed his life to making every food experience an incredible one. Starting in Miami, he worked in esteemed restaurants before being called to the rich ingredients that make NC food so unique. First landing in Durham, Andres brought life to the menus at multiple restaurants before finding his way to Charlotte. In 2022, the opportunity arose to take over as Executive Chef and Owner of Charlotte's mainstay, Customshop, where he brought his culinary expertise, menu development and all areas of restaurant operations and management and recently earned a spot in the first ever MICHELIN guide for the American South.
Chef Joe Kindred
Albertine, Hello, Sailor, KindredAs the chef/owner of Kindred in Davidson, NC, milkbread in Davidson, NC, and Hello, Sailor in Cornelius, NC, Joe Kindred firmly believes that utilization and appreciation for quality product speaks for itself, especially when it fosters fruitful relationships with purveyors and, ultimately, guests. Running the restaurants with this premise top of mind along with his wife, Katy Kindred, the chef describes his relationships with vendors as an ecosystem of sorts. His passion for teamwork and cooking started young. Cooking as a teen allowed Kindred to be able to get in a team environment, and he excelled quickly. He did so well in his high school’s culinary program that he won a national cooking competition at 18, earning a scholarship to Johnson and Wales in Charleston, SC. After college, he became the first intern for acclaimed Nobles in Charlotte, NC, before moving to Chicago for the next chapter and the next challenge. His tenure in Chicago saw stints at Tru, one sixtyblue, and The Pump Room, where he met his future wife Katy. Before the couple even got married, opening a restaurant had always been a dream of theirs. When they moved to San Francisco together, Kindred worked at acclaimed restaurant Delfina under Chef Craig Stoll, and was there when he beat stiff competition to be James Beard “Best Chef: Pacific” in 2007. Out of a desire to move closer to family, the Kindreds uprooted back to North Carolina, where he was hired again by Chef Jim Noble to be the Chef for Rooster’s Uptown and lead culinary manager for Noble’s four restaurants. During his time under Noble in 2013, Kindred was named “Chef of the Year” by Charlotte Magazine. With their roots back in North Carolina, they began to work on realizing their dream of a restaurant of their own. They did so with their namesake Kindred, housed in one of the city’s most historic downtown buildings, which was once the town pharmacy, followed two years later by Hello, Sailor, located on Lake Norman at a location that he frequented growing up as a child. Chef Joe was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Best Chef: Southeast in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He lives in his hometown of Davidson with Katy, their three kids Alba, Luca, and Graydon, and their dog.
Pastry Chef Faith Morley
Counter-Born and raised in New York, Faith Morley ventured south after graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in 2018. Captivated by the area’s rich culinary heritage and vibrant food culture, Morley decided to make Charlotte her home. Her journey through esteemed establishments Copain Bakery & Provisions and Roosters Uptown led her to Peppervine, where she honed her skills before joining Counter-, an intimate, full sensory restaurant experience, as executive pastry chef. In a city teeming with culinary talent, Morley shines as a beacon of creativity and innovation, inspiring peers and diners alike. She is always open to learning new techniques and refining her craft. Outside of the restaurant, Morley enjoys quality time with her partner and friends. She is an avid plant enthusiast, dedicating Sundays to caring for her beloved “babies.” Additionally, she finds joy in cleaning her house while listening to classic oldies tunes reminiscent of a jukebox playlist.
Pastry Chef Manolo Betancur Montoya
Manolo’s BakeryManolo Betancur is a Colombian-born entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social activist who has dedicated his life to uplifting communities through business, advocacy, and humanitarian efforts. Now a proud American citizen—thanks to a landmark decision by a U.S. judge—he exemplifies the resilience and contributions of immigrants in the United States. With a background as an engineer, former officer in the Colombian Navy, and accomplished martial art (Second Dan in Karate- fourth Dan in Taekwondo), Manolo transitioned into entrepreneurship 28 years ago and has since become a leading voice for small businesses and immigrant entrepreneurs. He holds a degree in Modern Languages from King University in Tennessee and completed a business entrepreneurship program at Stanford University in California. As the CEO and founder of Manolo’s Bakery, a purpose-driven business in Charlotte, NC, Manolo leads with a mission that extends beyond baking. His bakery regularly contributes to more than 26 local nonprofits, supporting community-driven initiatives. Once, his bakery’s work quite literally saved a life—with a single cake. It happened while celebrating the birthdays of people experiencing homelessness in Charlotte, whom he prefers to call neighbors. That moment gave shape to something he had been doing for years, and The Cake Project was born—rooted in a simple belief: “If there is a birthday, there is cake.” Since the pandemic began, through donations of two large sheet cakes twice a month to Raise You Up and with the support of By Immigrant Hands, more than 5,000 cakes have been shared—reaching people without housing and families who, for many reasons, could not afford a cake of their own. In 2021, Manolo’s Bakery was honored with the World Bread Hero USA Award for its dedication to social impact by IBIE International Baking Industry Exposition.
Bojangles
Bojangles is a Carolina-born restaurant chain specializing in craveable Southern chicken, biscuits and tea made fresh daily from real recipes, and with a friendly smile. Founded in 1977 as a single location in Charlotte, our beloved brand continues to grow nationwide. Our guests are at the forefront of everything we do. In addition to serving up flavorful food, we’re committed to doing good in the communities we serve. Fans from all over know Bojangles for our catchy tagline – “It’s Bo Time!”
Pilot Brewing Company
Pilot Brewing Company is a neighborhood nano-brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina, focused on small-batch beer brewed with intention, care, and respect for craft and community. Pilot brews one barrel at a time on purpose — prioritizing quality over hype and people over profit - with a mission to produce unique, high-quality beers that uphold the highest standards of craftsmanship, using local ingredients whenever possible, while creating a welcoming community rooted in learning, sharing, and connection.