Chef Whitney Thomas, chef de cuisine of Mico Restaurant in the Grand Bohemian Hotel, is leaving Charlotte. Thomas has taken a position as executive chef at a new boutique hotel, the Wylie Hotel, in Atlanta.

In her earlier role as executive chef at 5Church, Thomas was one of the few Black executive chefs in town — and possibly the only Black woman to lead a fine dining kitchen. She has a unique style of cooking, creating dishes that are approachable yet complex, layered with flavor. Her departure is a loss for Charlotte, both in her talent and the push for a more diverse culinary community.

According to Thomas, her departure came as a result of not getting the executive chef title at Mico. As chef de cuisine, she ran the kitchen as the restaurant sought a new executive chef. I visited during that time, and was thoroughly impressed by the food.

“The decision to leave was doing the executive chef job for six months and not getting it,” she says. “So I went and found an executive chef job at a hotel — I found a job that I should have gotten, honestly.”

The move will also put her in a larger market, and a city that’s known for being more diverse. Thomas hopes to become part of the larger community of Black chefs in Atlanta. Her last day in Charlotte is this Friday, April 30. Since moving here from Greensboro, Thomas says she doesn’t believe there has been much progress in making the city’s restaurants more inclusive.

“Charlotte is the same as it was when I got here — it’s the same white guys running the kitchens, getting all the press, so I feel like people still need to give opportunities to others and let other people shine,” she says. “You can look at all the press that you’ve seen recently and all the restaurants that are so trendsetting, and it’s the same guys doing it.”

This career move isn’t the end of Thomas’ contributions to Charlotte’s food and beverage industry — pop-ups are likely, and a return to the city is always possible.

“It’s not like I’m leaving forever, but I’m leaving for now just to spread my wings,” Thomas says. “I may come back in five years, 10 years and open my own restaurant here. I do love Charlotte and everything it’s done for me over the last couple of years.”

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