Your 2021 Mother’s Day guide, from gifts to dining
For many, last year’s COVID-19 pandemic woes kept families from celebrating Mother’s Day together. This year looks brighter. Some restaurants will offer special hours, brunches and dinners so you can surprise mom with a night out. Others will have special pre-made meals if you’d prefer to celebrate at home. And if you still need a gift idea, local retailers and bakeries are offering everything from lavender-infused honey to edible cookie letters. Here’s a bit of Mother’s Day inspiration to get you started on planning the perfect day:
TREAT MOM TO A LOCAL MEAL
Bulla Gastrobar
4310 Sharon Road
Bulla Gastrobar will open early at 10 a.m. for brunch and will also offer a Paella menu during dinner. Moms will receive roses, a special box of chocolate clusters and a $20 Bulla Gastrobar gift card.
Details: Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling 704-837-4422 or via OpenTable.
Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
4001 Yancey Road
Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen will offer Mother’s Day brunch takeout and delivery. Menu highlights include biscuits, gluten-free quiche, pain perdu, lemon bars and a mimosa kit.
Details: Order online by 3 p.m. on May 5 for pickup and delivery between noon and 7 p.m. on May 7.
Fine & Fettle
4905 Barclay Downs Drive
Fine & Fettle will have a ballroom brunch for Mother’s Day with seating options at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The buffet menu includes made-to-order eggs, a carving station, market seafood station, seasonal fruit display, local chef’s charcuterie board, salad bar, hot breakfast and lunch buffets and a dessert station. Pricing is $50 per adult and $18 for children ages 4-12. Masks and reservations are required to help maintain social distancing.
Details: Reserve your spot by emailing Nori Schmidt at nori.schmidt@hilton.com.
The Fresh Market
1408 East Blvd., 4207 Providence Road., 7625 Pineville-Matthews Road
The Fresh Market is offering Mother’s Day meals including a brunch deal (quiche, market-style bacon, tropical fruit bowl, blueberry muffins, fresh-squeezed orange juice, flower bouquet) that serves four for $39.99 and a surf-and-turf dinner (choice of filet mignon or chilean sea bass, mascarpone-whipped potatoes, seasoned asparagus, chocolate-dipped strawberries, flower bouquet) that serves two for $49.99.
Details: Order online now through May 4 at 2 p.m. for pickup in-store May 7-9.
Mama Ricotta’s
601 S. Kings Dr.
Mama Ricotta’s will host a Mother’s Day brunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Menu highlights include a spinach and prosciutto quiche, french toast, Uncle Louis’ Handheld, ham and fontina omelet and a giant cinnamon roll. The dinner menu includes fresh North Carolina shrimp with fettuccine and vanilla sponge cake for dessert.
Details: The dinner menu will run all day, but pizza doesn’t start until after lunch. Make a reservation via Opentable or call 704-343-0148.
Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen
6601 Morrison Blvd.
Rooster’s will offer both brunch and dinner options at its SouthPark location. Brunch includes a Copain pastry basket, hors d’oeuvres for the table, choice of entree and a dessert for $45 per person from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner includes amuse bouche, appetizers, choice of entree, and dessert for $55 per person from 5-9 p.m. Kids’ menus are available for both seatings.
Details: Make a reservation via OpenTable.
The Stanley
1961 E. 7th St.
The Stanley will offer a special prix fixe menu for Mother’s Day. For $35, each guest gets to choose a doughnut, a starter and an entree. Menu highlights include buttermilk pancakes, chicken biscuits, the Stanley burger and sweet potato home fries.
Details: Make a reservation online or call 980-299-2741.
Steak 48
4425 Sharon Road
Steak 48 will offer extended hours for Mother’s Day from noon to 10 p.m. featuring the regular menu.
Details: Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 980-580-4848.
GET MOM THE PERFECT GIFT
Amelie’s French Bakery and Cafe Gift Boxes
2424 N. Davidson St.; 7715 Pineville Matthews Road; 4321 Park Road; 157 E. Main St., Rock Hill
The gift: Celebrate mom with a tea-inspired menu, complete with macarons and pre-made dessert gift boxes. The macaron gift box includes 12 macarons with flavors such as London Fog (classic cookie filled with Earl Grey tea and vanilla-bean-infused buttercream), Raspberry Tea Cake (classic cookie filled with almond cake and raspberry marmalade) and Paris Tea (classic cookie filled with caramel vanilla tea-infused buttercream). Pre-composed gift boxes include options for the chocolate lover and berry lover (both $18.99). Amelie’s will also offer á la carte offerings, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries ($2.95), seasonal macarons ($2.39), fresh pâte sucrée cookies ($3.25) and fresh flower bouquets ($32.99).
Details: Mother’s Day offerings are available in stores from May 3-9.
Art from the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art
1520 S. Tryon St.
The gift: Surprise mom with the gift of local art from the Elder Gallery. Options include a photo book from Sir Will, prints from Kiana Mui and paintings and custom shoes from Makayla Binter.
Details: Order online.
Blakeney Shopping Center Spree
9870 Rea Road
The gift: Blakeney Shopping Center offers a quick way to get multiple gifts to surprise mom. Curate the perfect night indoors with a bottle of her favorite wine from Winestore coupled with a scented soy candle from Waxhaw Candle Company. You can even set the tone for a relaxing evening with a new piece of decor from Casual Elegance. And if you want to promise mom a future meal together, pick up a gift card to Open Rice for Hong-Kong-inspired dishes.
Details: Visitors to the shopping center must wear masks. Some retailers are offering curbside pickup.
Breakfast and flowers from dinner.
The gift: “dinner.” is a new food delivery service that will launch with a breakfast special and flower arrangement for mom. The meal includes vegan potato and veggie hash and the flower arrangement (medium-sized) will the hand-arranged. Food arrives in a glass, oven-safe container and branded cooler bag and the flowers will be presented in a glass vase. These containers will be picked up after Mother’s Day, as sustainability is one of dinner.’s main missions, and 10 percent of the profits will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. $50.
Details: Delivery is available within Charlotte city limits on May 8. Orders are preferred by May 6 at midnight. For questions or more information, email dinnerthedelivery.com.
Fine Art Growth Chart from Phantasia Studio
The gift: Phantasia Studio is offering beautiful growth charts, so mom can track her child’s growth and add an art piece to the space. Unlike flimsy wall hangings, the Phantasia Studio growth charts are on gallery-wrapped canvas with measurement marks cleverly added to the design. $350+
Details: Orders should be placed as soon as possible, as it takes 4-5 days to produce the charts before shipping. In the event that the gift will not arrive on time, Phantasia Studio can offer a small photo print of the item or a digital image that can be used for gifting.
Herbs from The Patio Farmer
Online
The gift: The Patio Farmer is offering two different sets of herbs for Mother’s Day. Surprise mom with vinaigrette herbs, including a 24-inch railing box planter filled with premium potting soil and pre-planted with parsley, thyme, oregano, red-veined sorrel and chives ($75), or the “Love You Mom” herbs with a 10-inch metal planter filled with premium potting soil and pre-planted with lavender, stevia and edible flowers ($45).
Details: All orders must be placed by May 5 and will be delivered the week prior to Mothers Day (May 3-7). Pricing includes delivery to mom’s doorstep in the Charlotte area.
Honey Gift Box from Cloister Honey
Online
The gift: Cloister Honey, located in Charlotte, offers customizable gifts with options such as a trio set ($20) and gift boxes with whipped and infused honeys ($37+). Flavors include cinnamon, lavender, lemon, ghost pepper, bourbon and more.
Details: Order online for shipment anywhere or visit a local retailer.
Indoor skydiving
7840 Lyles Ln. NW, Concord
The gift: Give the gift of adventure via iFly Indoor Skydiving, plus a free video with the purchase of any “first-time flyer” package.
Details: The offer for the free video is valid May 3-9 with code FLYMOM21 and can be purchased online.
Old-Fashioned Sampler Kit from Unpretentious Palate
The gift: Ideal for the whiskey-loving mom, this Unpretentious Palate sampler kit includes everything you need to create eight takes on the classic old-fashioned cocktail with instructions from celebrated local mixologists. Each kit includes simple syrup, garnishes and instructions. Bourbon is not included.
Details: Pre-order online for pickup on May 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at Camp North End outside of Leah & Louise. A limited number of kits are available. Refrigerate ingredients if not used within a few days.
Plants and cards from Blackhawk Hardware
4225 Park Road
The gift: Blackhawk Hardware has everything from sweet and sassy Mother’s Day cards to bath bombs and specialty wine accessories. Plus, in its Garden Center, there are flowers and potted plants of all sizes.
Details: Blackhawk Hardware is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Garden Center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Treats from Sweet Spot Studio
4412 Monroe Road., Suite D
The gift: Pick up an edible gift for mom from Sweet Spot, such as a paint-your-own flower cookie bouquet ($25); a baking-inspired Mother’s Day pun card complete with mini cookies ($30); confetti message cookie “Letters to Mom” ($25); and a “Sending Extra Love” gift box for mothers who may have experienced loss, infertility, pregnancy loss, or loss of a mother ($15, and 20% of sales will be donated to Kindermourn in honor of Ethan and Elijah Ebersold).
Details: For delivery estimated before Mother’s Day, place your order by April 27. The hard shipping deadline is May 3, but it’s recommended to place orders prior. Pickup begins April 21 and runs through May 8.
Visit to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
6500 S. New Hope Road.
The gift: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden will honor moms with free admission on May 8-9, where moms and families can listen to live music, stroll the gardens, dine at food trucks and pick up souvenirs at the Garden Store.
Details: Reserve or purchase a timed ticket.
Wine + Chocolate from Barcelona Wine Bar
101 W. Worthington Ave., Suite 110
The gift: Barcelona Wine Bar is offering a wine and chocolate take-home kit, which includes a recipe for pan con chocolate, a popular afternoon treat. The tote bag is backed with everything mom will need: a loaf of Barcelona crusty bread, bar of rich Cacao Sampaka sea salt chocolate, bottle of La Boella olive oil, Maldon sea salt, a full-sized bottle of wine and a recipe card. $65
Details: Call 704-741-0300 or visit the marketplace.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
