CHARLOTTE

DEGREE OF TASTE

Since Johnson & Wales University opened its Charlotte Campus in the fall of 2004, the Queen City tastes better than ever. The school’s College of Culinary Arts has an enrollment of more than a thousand students, and since many of them take over local kitchens after they graduate, diners are reaping the benefits.

“Johnson & Wales isn’t just educating students, it’s also educating the dining public,” says Bill Bigham, a personal chef who retired from a 33-year career with Procter & Gamble before pursuing a culinary degree from J&W at age 56. “With Johnson & Wales graduates and students in virtually every restaurant in the city, the school’s presence has provided nothing short of a dining revolution here.”

J&W alum Tom Condron and self-taught wizard Jim Noble are two major players on the Charlotte dining scene who have welcomed local grads. “We love to hire Johnson & Wales students and graduates because we know we’ll get the passion and skills,” says Noble, who is known for using locally sourced ingredients at his Noble’s Restaurant (a Charlotte “don’t miss”) and his Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen (featuring spit-roasted meats).

Condron is the executive chef of Harper’s Restaurant Group. The Mediterranean-leaning M5 is their newest hotspot, but other Condron creations like Mimosa Grill and Upstream continue to draw rave reviews. Condron also lures lots of J&W students and alumni looking to become the next Emeril — also a J&W grad. The famous chef has a teaching kitchen dedicated to him at the Charlotte Campus.

The Charlotte dining scene boasts several other tasty options with J&W connections. J&W grad Nick LaVecchia founded LaVecchia’s Seafood Grille. J&W alum Trey Wilson is executive chef at Customshop, and Pierre Bader hires lots of local students and graduates for his two downtown restaurants, Town and Sonoma Modern.

— Lynn Seldon