Charlotte restaurant plans takeout lunch, pop-up dinner with ‘Top Chef’ contestant
BayHaven Restaurant Group is hosting a takeout lunch and a collaborative dinner at Leah & Louise in April with chef Ashleigh Shanti of Good Hot Fish in Asheville, who is a contestant on the current season of Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
“Besides being one of the dopest chefs in the country, Ashleigh honors her heritage and place through her craft similar to me,” said James Beard-finalist chef Greg Collier, who co-owns BayHaven with his wife, Subrina. “Her style of Appalachian cookery is deeply personal and creative, and I can’t wait to be in the room with her while she showcases it.”
Shanti’s fish fry pop-up is going brick and mortar with a restaurant opening this fall that honors Black foodways and her coastal Virginia upbringing. She was named a 2019 Eater Young Gun and a 2020 finalist for James Beard “Rising Star Chef of the Year‘‘ award during her tenure as chef de cuisine at Benne on Eagle in Asheville.
“I am so excited to cook in Charlotte alongside chef Greg and his team,” Shanti said. “We both cook with the influence of an army of strong Black women behind us. Diners will get to see the many parallels and nuances that exist between the regions we represent.”
Here are the details for each event:
Fish fry lunch
The fish fry takeout event on April 15 will showcase what Good Hot Fish is all about. The lunch plate will include Jimmy Red cornmeal-dredged NC catfish, fried and accompanied by Fishhead hot sauce and buttermilk tartar sauce, hot slaw, a seasonal vegetable from Old North Farm, white bread and a dessert from Leah & Louise.
WHEN: Friday, April 15
WHERE: Leah & Louise at Camp North End, 301 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
COST: Each plate is $25
HOW TO ORDER: Meals must be pre-ordered by April 14. Visit www.leahandlouise.com, click online ordering, select 4/15 as the date and choose a time slot.
HOW TO PICK UP: Orders will be available April 15 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Leah & Louise, where Shanti will greet guests. Places to eat are available throughout the Camp North End campus.
Collaboration dinner
The Leah & Louise culinary team — including Greg Collier and co-head chefs Brandon Staton and Courtney Evans — will work with Shanti to create a six-course meal. It will feature two appetizers, a vegetable, a fish dish, a meat dish and dessert. Champagne is included, and there’s an option to add wine pairings. The reservation-only dinner has a limited capacity of 40 people.
WHEN: Monday, April 18 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Leah & Louise at Camp North End, 301 Camp Rd, Charlotte, NC 28206
COST: Dinner $180 per person. The wine pairing is $40 extra.
HOW TO ORDER: Tickets are available online via OpenTable.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
