Charlotte chefs unite for a James Beard Foundation dinner in New York, spotlighting regional cooking and farms

A national-stage dinner built around Charlotte talent

A group of Charlotte-area chefs and a veteran mixologist are scheduled to cook a collaborative dinner for the James Beard Foundation in New York City, a format that places visiting culinary teams inside the foundation’s event program and in front of an audience that includes members and ticketed guests. The event is structured as a multi-course dinner with cocktails and other pairings, designed to showcase the participating chefs’ styles and the ingredients they choose to represent their home region.

The scheduled lineup includes Chris Coleman (The Asbury at the Dunhill Hotel), Blake Hartwick (Bonterra Dining & Wine Room), Paul T. Verica (Heritage Food & Drink, based in Waxhaw), and pastry chef Ashley Boyd (300 East and Heritage Food & Drink). Mixologist Bob Peters, long associated with Charlotte’s cocktail scene through The Punch Room, is slated to create cocktail pairings for selected courses.

How the dinner is organized

The James Beard Foundation’s event listing for “Taste of Charlotte” describes a menu that blends familiar Southern flavors with technique-driven presentations. The published menu highlights dishes such as pimento cheese made with Ashe County cheddar, chicken croquettes with romesco, a pastrami-cured North Carolina strip loin with red wine–braised cabbage, and slow-cooked pork belly served with sweet potato casserole, collard greens, black-eyed peas, Carolina Gold rice, and a Cheerwine barbecue glaze.

• Format: passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a multi-course seated dinner
• Chef roles: individual courses, with a collaborative approach for the meal’s arc
• Beverage plan: cocktail pairings featured alongside the menu

Preview dinner in Charlotte ahead of New York service

Before cooking in New York, the group also planned a ticketed preview dinner in Charlotte intended as a rehearsal for timing, service logistics, and final recipe calibrations. The preview was scheduled for Feb. 28 (year referenced in event planning materials), ahead of the New York date.

Why this moment matters for the city’s culinary profile

James Beard Foundation dinners are distinct from the organization’s annual awards program, but they can function as a high-visibility platform for regional teams. In Charlotte’s case, the dinner arrives amid ongoing efforts by chefs and restaurateurs to raise the city’s national culinary recognition through chef-driven concepts, deeper relationships with regional producers, and coordinated appearances beyond North Carolina.

Event name: “Taste of Charlotte” | Scheduled date: April 16, 2016 | Location: New York City

For Charlotte’s participating chefs, the New York dinner is designed to present a cohesive snapshot of their cooking and sourcing—one that ties restaurant talent to farm networks and beverage programs, translating local identity into a single, ticketed night on a national stage.