Dinner, with a side of strangers

Good morning! Today is Saturday, April 25, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.

By Jay Ahuja

For the better part of 15 years, my wife Karen and I went out to dinner once a month with our neighbors who lived three doors down. We took turns picking a restaurant, driving and paying the bill. Then, those friends moved to the beach, and we came to miss our little dinner club.

Recently, we discovered the Tasting Collective. It’s not the same, but it has been a fun way to discover new eateries and meet people. These are members-only, chef-led tasting events at high-end restaurants in Charlotte and 17 other U.S. cities. 

The Charlotte restaurants have included, but are not limited to, McNinch House, Haberdish, The Ashbury, The Goodyear House, Sosu and Haymaker. They launched just before the pandemic and are fast approaching 1,000 members here, making it one of their larger chapters.

Founder Nat Gelb says the club seeks restaurants that have either received critical acclaim, or haven't received recognition yet but the chef has a notable culinary background.

“We know our members love innovative, experimental, ‘non-traditional’ food,” Gelb said. “And, with the chef interaction being such an integral aspect of the experience, we love working with restaurants where the chef is an owner, as their passion always comes through on a deeper level.”

They typically offer two seatings: 5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The second seating has a slightly younger crowd. We’ve attended four so far: El Puro, a Cuban place on South Boulevard; Henrietta’s, a stylish bistro in LoSo; Yugenn, a Japanese establishment in South End; and Aqua e Vino, an Italian restaurant in south Charlotte with an extensive wine list. 

For each one, we chose to sit at a larger table with strangers. We’ve met some wonderful, interesting people along the way and experienced restaurant meals in new ways. And at all of them, the chef presentations were enlightening.

Maeve Gorman, who serves as host for the Tasting Collective dinners we attended, is struck by the community connection between the diners themselves, as well as the chef and culinary team. “It’s all rooted in a mission to connect deeper with our greater world through the lens of dining,” she said.

Here are the details:

It was at our first Tasting Collective dinner that I first heard about another dining club, Taste Carolina, which has offered guided tours since 2009. These are walking food tours in eight North Carolina cities, including Charlotte. 

Billed as gourmet food tours, they generally have four stops and take place in uptown, NoDa and Davidson on Fridays and Saturdays. 

I spoke with Lesley Stracks-Mullem, the founder, before attending my first tour. Ours was for brunch on a Saturday morning, but they also have dinner tours.

Stracks-Mullem said they focus on locally owned restaurants that support local farms and vendors. “We give context to the city — information about city history, architecture, food and culture — so tours have a lot to offer on their own,” she said. “But then the food is delicious, varied, and plentiful.”

Here’s how Taste Carolina works:

“Charlotte had the most tours in 2025 at 157, but Raleigh had the most people come through at 1,870. About 80% of our Charlotte tours are in uptown, 15% are in NoDa, and a few per year in Davidson.”

Our tour consisted of just two couples. Our first dish was the “Bacon, Bacon” Liege waffle at Sweet Crunch, in The Market at 7th Street uptown. A sweet and savory start with bacon, brie and hot honey that was terrific, perhaps the best I ever had. 

We wandered over to Sea Level NC and had the place to ourselves, 15 minutes before they officially opened. Mike Light, the general manager, shucked oysters for us and explained that Sea Level is named after the community of Sea Level, near Morehead City, where they source their oysters from a mom-and-pop oyster farm. We had a shrimp and grits dish that is always on the menu and is made with heirloom red corn grits. Our meal was served with a “Fish House punch,” described as “an elevated Long Island iced tea.” I don’t usually go for mixed drinks, but it was the ideal complement to our meal.

Already about stuffed, we wobbled over to Church and Union next. Church and Union has sister establishments in Charleston, Nashville and Denver, and locally, it’s run by chef and partner Jamie Lynch, who has been a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Fun fact: Scenes from the show’s current season were shot here.

The place was packed, but our table was quickly readied for us with brunch bread and mimosas served while we awaited breakfast sandwiches and seasoned potatoes. Both were fabulous.

Our final stop was at La Bonbonniere Bakery in Latta Arcade. A line was out the door, but the staff quickly offered us Venezuelan coffee and boxed up an assortment of cookies and brownies. None of us ate any of it but gladly took them home. Chef Valentina Lopez let us know that everything they offer is homemade fresh. I’ve only had two of the five samples so far and they are absurdly tasty.

Charlotte brunch and afternoon tasting tours in Davidson are $95 plus a $6 ticketing fee. Uptown dinner and drinks tours are $115 plus a $6 ticketing fee. Tips for the guide are not included. We met folks at both Taste Charlotte and Tasting Collective who received their tickets as gifts and were thrilled with them.

Dining experiences at Tasting Collective and Taste Carolina are very different but have one thing in common: They are best enjoyed if you arrive hungry and are ready for good conversation with new people over a meal.

Jay Ahuja has lived, worked and played in Charlotte since 1986. He has one wife, two stepsons and one dog. He’s had two sports travel guidebooks published and produced a documentary film, “Live From The Double Door Inn.” He works for WDAV 89.9FM, the region’s classical public radio station.

Today's sponsor is Advocate Health. Atrium Health, part of Advocate Health, is redefining care for all by delivering nationally recognized specialty and virtual care for patients in over 1,000 care locations across seven states.

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