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October 1, 2026
Charlotte to host The Chef Assembly
The conference expands to the Southeast this year
by Kristen Wile
On Nov. 2-3, Charlotte will host some of the region’s top culinary voices for The Chef Assembly. Created by Johnson & Wales Charlotte alumnus Mike Traud, the two-day conference will feature panel discussions and events focused on hospitality.
The event kicks off Monday, Nov. 2, with panel discussions covering topics including restaurant economics, mentorship, chef wellness, and cuisine and culture. An afterparty will take place at The Goodyear House, with a half-day of sessions on Nov. 3 including “What is Southern Food?,” moderated by Toni Tipton-Martin. Panelists include North Carolina chefs, such as Raleigh’s Cheetie Kumar and Ashley Christensen, though there are no Charlotte chefs taking part in the programming.
“Every time I use a Charlotte person to speak, that’s one less national person that we bring to the table, one less potential networking opportunity connection to grow your brand,” Traud says. “…If we have this captive audience of national and regional chefs who really get to dig deep into the food scene in Charlotte for the 3 days that we get to host them and go out and eat and meet people, the Charlotte chef community gets to be the ambassador of all this.”
The Chef Assembly hopes to provide the rare opportunity for hospitality professionals to network with one another and share ideas, propelling the industry forward. In the past, the conference has been the setting that launched collaborative dinners and friendships.
For Charlotte, hosting The Chef Assembly is also part of an effort to raise the city’s national culinary profile, says CRVA Chief Brand & Strategy Officer Laura White. CRVA, which helped bring the Michelin Guide and Top Chef to Charlotte recently, is a sponsor of this year’s event.
“The next level of what we envision in creating more awareness and greater perception of Charlotte is this idea of supporting thought leadership in culinary,” White says, “whether that means great chef collaborations with our talent in other states, at other events or gatherings in the industry that have prominence, or whether that means bringing thought leaders to Charlotte to show them that Charlotte is a contender in the food scene.”
In addition to the conference programming and official meals, several collaborative dinners will take place around town, with restaurants including Rada and Supperland hosting visiting chefs.
Traud calls hosting the chef conference here a “20-year, full circle moment” following his graduation from JWU. He’s been spending more time in Charlotte recently to plan the event, but before that, Traud hadn’t visited the city since Peter Reinhart hosted a bread symposium back in 2017.
“The city is night and day,” he says. “…It’s one of those elements that it seems like it’s perfect timing with the rise of Charlotte’s food scene, and just a perfect moment for The Chef Assembly to look to expand to the South.”
Tickets cost $175, and include meals as well as the Monday post-event party. Learn more.
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