Chef Sam Diminich, owner of Your Farms, Your Table, will open his first restaurant, Restaurant Constance, in West Charlotte this fall. Named after his daughter, the restaurant will take the space currently occupied by Counter- in The City Kitch when Counter- moves to a new location. 

The restaurant will seat between 25 and 30 guests, and will focus on supporting the same farmers that inspired Diminich to start Your Farms, Your Table — an ingredient-driven, home-delivery meal service — during the restaurant shutdown.

“[The restaurant is] just based on the seasons, and it’s really what I’ve been doing with Your Farms, Your Table from a food standpoint: working as closely as I can with local suppliers, the seasons and really just keeping things as uncomplicated but as focused as possible,” he says. “It’s going to be good. I’m really excited about it.”

The restaurant will follow the same local focus as Your Farms, Your Table, which is undergoing a visual refresh this month. At Restaurant Constance, for example, diners will be able to scan a QR code on the menu and learn more about the farms featured in that evening’s service. 

Diminich’s current kitchen space is one wall over from the Counter- space he’ll be taking over. He plans for the dining room to be more traditional than Counter-‘s u-shaped bar, and is considering connecting his current space to the new one.

The chef, our debut UPPY Award winner for Ghost Kitchen of the Year, says he decided to open a restaurant largely because he wants to help guide positive changes in the industry in this time of upheaval, including a more diverse workforce and fostering connection across all levels of the local food ecosystem.

“I want to be a part of the new voice of food and beverage and how we operate,” Diminich says. “I want to be part of the leadership from a directional standpoint, on really investing in our community or the people that we employ and our local suppliers. That was kind of the beginning of my thought process.”

Restaurant Constance will eventually add a retail line, selling vinaigrettes and sauces. Longer term, Diminich also has plans to start a non-profit arm of Your Farms, Your Table that will benefit at-risk adults, local farmers, and restaurants. Though he’s busier than ever, Diminich is also energized by the role he’s filling.

“I grew up in a restaurant family, I went to school, and I traveled, and I thought that I had this really intimate relationship with food,” Diminich says. “When Your Farms, Your Table came around, focusing on that outward experience of getting out, going to the farms, really understanding our food systems, understanding how it affects our community, understanding our general public’s relationship with food, particularly fast food, it opened up a lot of doors. I feel reinvigorated and excited and just super pumped — but more importantly, just as close a relationship with food as I’ve ever experienced in my life.” 

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