by Kristen Wile

Sugar Shock is back. A dessert-based coursed meal from some of the city’s best pastry chefs, Sugar Shock launched as a fundraiser at Project 658 in 2016. Sweet Spot Studio owner Jossie Lukacik remains the driving force behind the dinner, bringing it back for the first time following the pandemic.

This year’s event will take place on Monday, June 23 at Bar One Lounge in Uptown, and will feature dishes from Samantha Ward of L’Ostrica, Ashley Boyd of 300 East, Laney Jahkel-Parrish of the Piedmont Culinary Guild, Keia Mastrianni of Milk Glass Pie, and Justin Fry of JF Chocolat. Each of the pastry chefs will serve a course, with Corey Siegel of Electrolux Professional and Drew Beuttel of Bar One providing savory passed apps to kick off the evening.

The dinner will raise money for the Kendall Ross Culinary Scholarship Fund, helping aspiring chefs pursue their culinary dreams. The fund was created in honor of Kendall Ross, a Charlotte chef who passed away in 2023 after his car was hit by a drunk driver.

The event will feature passed appetizers and live music, followed by a five-course meal. Despite being named Sugar Shock, the dinners offer a balanced menu of dishes that aptly substitute a traditional tasting menu.

“We pastry chefs don’t like super sweet desserts — most of us tend to go at least a little bit savory, especially with this particular lineup,” Lukacik says. “It’s a new way of seeing dessert that people may not be used to because they are so used to the cakes, the cheesecakes, the sweets, but this is a lot more elevated.”

For example, L’Ostrica pastry chef Samantha Ward will serve a “girl dinner” course that includes dark chocolate dipped cheese with lava salt, chocolate dipped freshly made potato chips, brown sugar candied bacon pastry, and a tomato jam macaron.

Tickets cost $80 and include dinner and soft drinks. Alcohol will be available to purchase separately. Tickets can be purchased here. While Sugar Shock has become a memorable dinner for guests, it remains a highlight for the chefs participating, too.

“For us on the pastry side, we have such a tight knit pastry community,” Lukacik says. “We used to do a ton of these dinners, but there was only one pastry chef. And so for us to be able to come together as a group — we’re all good friends and this particular lineup, we’ve all known each other, some of us for over a decade. You can tell when a group of chefs feels cohesive. It’s special for us just to see each other, work with each other, get to combine our passions.”