Executive Chef Craig Barbour knows large gatherings are off the table for now.
Coronavirus cases are rising in Charlotte, and Phase 2 of North Carolina’s reopening plan restricts outdoor gatherings to under 25 people and indoor gatherings to 10. But Barbour, the chef behind Roots Catering and Roots Cafe, is bringing the handcrafted meal into the home with Little Fête. The brand promising “chef crafted fare for your next little celebration” will take orders starting June 27.
Little Fête means “little celebrations” — which is exactly what Barbour hopes to offer customers. Roots Cafe began offering holiday boxes during the pandemic for Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Little Fête was born out of those successes, Barbour said.
“People still want to celebrate, but they want to do it conveniently and safely,” he said.
The cuisine is delivered in a box directly to homes, with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan offerings. The food is prepared in a regulated facility. Kitchen staff wear masks and stay socially-distanced throughout the preparation process.
Little Fête hopes to offer convenience. The boxes can also be picked up at Roots Cafe or Roots Catering, and can feature over 50 ingredients. Instead of having to purchase each individual item, ordering the pre-prepared box limits the exposure of visiting several stores for customers.
Starting at $89, the Further South kit comes with your choice of taco filling – beef, chicken or carnitas — plus corn and flour tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheese, house-made salsa, guacamole, queso dip, pickled pepper, shredded lettuce, smoked chili black beans and tortilla chips Courtesy of Little Fête CharlotteFive
Little Fête also promises personalization. The boxes are intended for groups between four and 10. “And if you wanted more than 10 people, that’s no problem, you just let us know,” he said.
Little Fête will offer four types of boxes:
(1) Gather aka “the weekend”
The Gather box offers a table of spreads and appetizers. With the Gather box, your company can graze and socialize over the spread of dishes.
Barbour said the Gather box is his personal favorite. “I’m a sucker for a really good charcuterie board with a bunch of pickled items and different kinds of dips and things like that,” he said.
(2) The Dinner Party aka “the soiree”
This meal is intended for an “intimate feast” with multiple courses and desserts. For the Dinner Party boxes, customers can pick exactly how many people the box will serve, so the portions can be tailored accordingly.
(3) Kits aka “an interactive experience”
The Brunch Kit comes with pre-portioned pancake mix (eggs and milk not included), sausage, bacon, fruit, roots hash, quiche and cinnamon rolls for $100. Courtesy of Little Fête CharlotteFive
Kits allow family and friends to participate in the cooking process by preparing the ingredients into meals themselves.
(4) A La Carte aka “customize your menu”
If you want to build your own menu, you can customize your entire box with the A La Carte option.
The Dockside package comes with poached jumbo shrimp, snow crab claws, ½ shell oysters, salted lavash crackers, local hot sauce, house made apricot mignonette, spicy cocktail sauce and fresh lemons, starting at $155. Courtesy of Little Fête CharlotteFive
Next up: Shipping
Looking ahead, Barbour dreams big. Little Fête is working on the logistics of shipping boxes, which could share these little celebrations beyond the Queen City, he said.
“Once we do figure that part out, these boxes can be shipped all over the country, and we can kind of put Charlotte on the map for a success story of adaptability through the COVID-19 crisis,” he said.
Barbour hopes Little Fête will be able to help customers for any kind of “little celebration” in their life.
“If you wanted to get it shipped to the house you’re renting for vacation so it’s there when you get there, we can do that,” he said. “If you wanted to pick it up before you head out of town, we can do that. If you wanted to send one to your parents in another state because you’re doing a Zoom call for a birthday, we can do that, as well.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 11:36 AM.
Maddie Ellis is a former CharlotteFive reporting intern turned journalist. Having grown up in Charlotte, she loves reporting on lifestyle and entertainment news connected to the Queen City. Find her latest work on Twitter @madelinellis.
