Second seating just added: 2 of Charlotte’s favorite chefs team up for collaboration dinner
Charlotte, two of your favorite chefs are cooking up something different. And you’ll have one night to try it.
On the table? A collaborative dinner.
James Beard Award-semifinalist chef and owner Sam Diminch of Restaurant Constance and locally lauded chef and owner Andres Kaifer of Customshop are teaming up for a five-course dinner on Thursday, March 20 as a part of SAVOR Charlotte. The festival includes special menus and interactive culinary demonstrations across the city from March 12-25.
The one-seating-only collaboration dinner will be held at Restaurant Constance at 5:30 p.m. on March 20.
Update: Due to overwhelming demand — the seating sold out in less than 24 hours — a second seating has been added for 8 p.m.
Diminich and Kaifer head up two of Charlotte’s most well-known restaurants, landing in 11 restaurants USA Today missed and Eater’s essential Charlotte restaurants list. And it’s the first time they’re officially collaborating.
“We had been talking about this for a long time, but we both stay so busy,” Diminich told CharlotteFive. In order to get together, we had to cook together.”
It’s kind of funny because I’ve interviewed the two of them many times separately in the past. And consistently, they both rave and gush about each other. It’s no wonder this collaboration has finally materialized.
“Whenever I have his food, it’s so edited and focused,” Diminich said about Kaifer. Kaifer said Diminich cooks “without ego.”
The intention behind this dinner isn’t just to put these two to side-by-side, preparing local ingredients, but to have their diners gather and connect over food. The 40 diners might mingle with each other at shared communal seating.
“But, also, it’s just about having fun,” Diminich said.
Tickets for this exclusive culinary experience are available for $150+ per person online through SAVOR Charlotte. This dinner is one of many gathering events for SAVOR Charlotte, which includes special menus and interactive culinary demonstrations across the city.
“The stronger the unity amongst us that have the same goals, the quicker it’s just going to bring the entire city up to the forefront in the regional and national side,” Kaifer said.
On the menu
The maximum of 40 guests will experience five courses that showcase local ingredients and individual culinary flair from both Diminich and Kaifer.
The snacks and five courses include:
Kaifer’s manchego and jamon croqueta and confit duck pastelito
Diminich’s tuna and kimchi nori wrap and labneh
Kaifer’s escabeche with citrus-cured bass and pickled mussels
Diminich’s scallop switch sweet potato spaetzle, with brie and black truffle
Kaifer’s Rohan duck breast with rutabaga puree, kohlrabi and a guava demi-glace
Diminich’s dry aged NY strip with shiitake cannelloni
“Sometimes you’ll see a collab and it’ll be about personalities rather than principles … but I think we have a very similar ethos on food. We both change our menus almost too much,” Kaifer said.
Diners will get to see the two in action through Restaurant Constance’s open glass window into the kitchen and may get the chance to interact with the chefs as they present the dishes.
Collab culture
It seems Charlotte is having no shortage of culinary collaborations right now. Obviously, Diminich and Kaifer run two of the hottest, high-execution restaurants in Charlotte.
But, we’re also seeing culinary collabs from grassroots pop-ups, like the recent Hello Uncle and Already Sammies crew. Another SAVOR Charlotte collab is with Blue Door and Que Onda.
Hailing from Miami and tapped into other cities’ culinary scenes, Kaifer said he’d love to see more collabs within the city, not just across cities or exclusively in cities like New York or D.C.
“I would love to cook with all the chefs that I respect in the city,” Kaifer said.
Charlotte’s rising culinary scene
As we head into SAVOR Charlotte this year, it’s clear that “we’re witnessing a generational shift in Charlotte,” Diminich said. There’s been a lot of buzz in the Charlotte food scene with recent James Beard nods.
“Restaurants popping up are just way more focused on high level, high execution cuisine, which is very different from the Charlotte of old,” Kaifer said. “You see more people striving to support local chefs and also more local chefs having the courage to take that risk.”
This dinner is just one opportunity to be a part of this new era of Charlotte food.
“It’s a lot of things finally coming together,” Diminich said, from chef execution to a growing demand for higher quality food from consumers.
Diminich thinks these consumers are coming to Charlotte with a deeper appreciation for travel, global cuisine, art and music.
“I don’t know, man. I’m just super proud to be a part of this. And it’s so cool to be here at this time with him,” he said about Kaifer.
Restaurant Constance and Customshop collab dinner
Location: Restaurant Constance, 2200 Thrift Rd, Charlotte, NC 28208
When: Thursday, March 20, 5:30 p.m. (one seating only)
Tickets: Online via Savor Charlotte
Cost: $150+ per person
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
