What does it mean to be a conscious eater? It’s not just about choosing food that will nourish your body, but about buying food that also nourishes your community. Luckily, Charlotte has some great offerings for someone trying to eat more intentionally.
The Mayobird & Summit Room + Joe and Nosh & The Packhouse
A dinner only concept features Southern inspired plates and specialty cocktails named after the seven summits and using local, sustainable foods. The tables and chairs are upcycled from local houses and tobacco barns. The owner and operator, Deedee Mills, just recently opened two more restaurants with the same business model. Joe and Nosh, a coffee and sandwich shop, and The Pack House, a dinner spot serving southern cuisine that pays homage to North Carolina’s tobacco industry.
For all four restaurants, 10 percent of net profits go to support Behailu Academy, an after-school refuge for at-risk youth to find peace and opportunity through art.
1531 East Blvd
Open daily, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
1531 East Blvd.
Open Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m. – Close
500 E. Morehead Street, Suite 150-B
Monday-Friday 7am-5pm
(Kitchen will close at 3pm)
Saturday and Sunday Closed
500 E. Morehead Street, Suite 150-A
Monday: closed
Tuesday-Thursday: 4pm-9pm
Friday: 4pm-10pm
Saturday: 10am-3pm, brunch, 4pm-10pm, dinner
Sunday: 10am-3pm, brunch
The King’s Kitchen & Bakery
A non-profit restaurant located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte serving southern-inspired cuisine from Carolina farms and purveyors, The King’s Kitchen & Bakery opened in 2010 on the corner of Trade and Church. The Southern cuisine is a top notch, Jim Noble restaurant. But it’s amazing food with a purpose. The profits and proceeds from The King’s Kitchen go toward feeding the “spiritual and physical needs of those who have the least in our community and to train and equip those previously unemployable in the restaurant trade.”
129 W. Trade St.
Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Monday – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Close
Julia’s Cafe & Books
A quiet coffee shop that’s not too far from Uptown, with excellent parking, and a shared space with Habitat’s ReStore (with a huge selection of used books), Julia’s Café and Books brew locally roasted coffee, serve local and organic breakfast and lunch options and proceeds support Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte.
1133 N. Wendover Rd.
Open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Open Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Community Culinary School of Charlotte Cafe
This cafe on Monroe Road in an unassuming strip mall is well worth a visit during lunch and is easy to get to for a midday break. But the café is part of a local non-profit that provides training and job placement assistance in the food service industry for adults who face barriers to successful employment. As Executive Director Chef Ron Ahlert often says, “We’re not just creating cooks, we’re creating employees.”
Community Culinary School of Charlotte Café
9315-D Monroe Road
Open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Cherubs Cafe
In the heart of downtown Belmont, Cherubs Café is a breakfast and lunch spot featuring fresh-baked desserts and gourmet, specialty coffees, soups, salads and sandwiches, ice creams. The café is part of Holy Angels, an organization that provides compassionate, dependable care and opportunities for high-quality living to those with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions, allowing residents the opportunity to socialize, learn about the business and vocational training which can lead to better employment options. All profits are used to fund programs and services of Holy Angels.
23 North Main St.
Open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
