Yahoo Finance Where are they now? Catch up with first graduating class of Charlotte’s Johnson & Wales
The food scene in Charlotte has evolved in recent years, which may be the main reason it’s starting to be known as a city for “foodies.” For those of us to love to indulge in the city’s diverse and unique food scene, there’s hardly ever enough time to slow down and smell the roses. It’s about time we consider who has contributed to the culinary scene that we’ve all come to love.
Charlotte was still chain-restaurant heavy when Johnson & Wales University moved to town in 2004, Dean of Culinary Education Jerry Lanuzza reminded CharlotteFive. As its students started to graduate, that’s when the restaurant and hospitality scene exploded.
Founded in 1914, Johnson & Wales offers more than 80 majors for students to choose from including arts, sciences, business and engineering at its campuses in Charlotte and Providence, Rhode Island. In Charlotte, the university is well-known for its food innovation, hospitality and culinary arts programs.
“There are not too many restaurants you can walk into in Charlotte and it does not have some type of Johnson & Wales connection, with alumni and/or students working either in the front or the back of the house,” manager of alumni relations Chris Plano said.
How do we know Charlotte is a food city?
Lanuzza defines a food city as a destination that develops its reputation by attracting both locals and people outside of town seeking extraordinary food prepared by talented, creative, hardworking chefs whose establishments offer welcoming customer service.
It’s safe to say that the Queen City certainly meets the mark. With restaurants, concepts and local shops popping up what seems like every other week, it’s hard to imagine having to wait in line or make a reservation, but it’s totally necessary these days in Charlotte. People come for the creative innovations in the form of food, and the vibes that can be felt all around the city are why they stay a little longer.
We wanted to go back to where it all began. CharlotteFive connected with four members of the first four-year graduating class of Johnson & Wales University (2008). Whether in Charlotte or beyond, here’s how a few of them are contributing to the food scene today.
(1) Craig Barbour
Owner and executive chef of Roots, Charlotte
CharlotteFive: What is life like now?
Barbour: Now, with the pandemic, I am back to working a lot more in the business as opposed to on my business. That’s the biggest shift as of right now. I’m taking on line cook positions and anything and everything that needs to be done. I’m jumping in and doing it now, as opposed to managing the overall business.
CharlotteFive: What does it mean to be contributing to Charlotte’s food scene 10+ years after graduating?
Barbour: It’s humbling and it’s an honor. I’m truly grateful for all of the customers that we have and all of the customers that have brought us through the pandemic. I think that the amount of support we got when restrictions were in place really gave us validation more than the Google reviews or Square feedback. What we’ve been doing for the last 10 years has actually been meaningful to people other than ourselves, which really was a nice silver lining.
(2) Richard Cranmer
Chef and owner of Zinicola Italian Restaurant in Ballantyne
CharlotteFive: What is life like now?
Cranmer: I am living my dream, even with having gone through one of the most challenging years of my career. Trying to balance my time with family and the restaurant is what I spend most of my time doing. Being married with a 6-year-old son, I try to spend as much time as possible with them. The restaurant industry is not easy on relationships. I am very lucky to have an understanding wife.
CharlotteFive: What does it mean to be contributing to Charlotte’s food scene 10+ years after graduating?
Cranmer: Watching the food scene grow in Charlotte has been amazing. I opened my restaurant in December 2017. After spending years in the District of Columbia and Palm Beach, it is really cool to be a part of a young and growing city.
(3) Claire Francis
Senior marketing director for the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena, Nashville
CharlotteFive: What is life like now?
Francis: I oversee all of our marketing initiatives, which includes anything digital. Our team handles overall season ticket messaging, anything that really reaches our community as it relates to the Nashville Predators. On the Bridgestone Arena side, I work with the concert promoters and help put together marketing plans for general market awareness with the goal of selling tickets.
CharlotteFive: How does it feel to work in the career field you actually studied here in Charlotte 10+ years after graduating?
Francis: I feel really good about being able to have found somewhere I could start studying what my interests were, which was the sports and event entertainment industry. I was able to really pick from that industry what I wanted to do and focus on the sports side of it. I feel really lucky that I was able to figure out what I wanted to do early in life and then find a program that helped me learn more about it — that led me to my graduate program. Now, here I am on the professional sports side of the business. I tell people I went to a culinary school, and I don’t really cook. It’s just hilarious because I’m constantly telling people about the hospitality college and the benefits of it and other programs offered. I think it’s great that it’s highlighted because it’s often overlooked. I do love food, and I like being associated.
(4) Nate Turner
Owner and operator of Your Custom Catering & Events, Charlotte
CharlotteFive: What is life like now?
Turner: It’s probably chaotic. We are reorganizing and switching up the business to better suit the current catering environment due to COVID-19. We are transitioning and focusing more on government contracts and less on the wedding and events side just so the company is more sustainable.
CharlotteFive: What does it mean to be contributing to Charlotte’s food scene 10+ years after graduating?
Turner: Charlotte has really helped me grow into the person I am. Charlotte has really been an incubator and allowed me to grow and develop a business that has been able to thrive even through a pandemic. I appreciate the city a lot. I appreciate how the food scene is actually changing and growing.
Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for punctuation, clarity and length.
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