Hidden gem in Charlotte’s Oakhurst neighborhood where the menu is as creative as the food
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May 20, 2026
Three black women chefs to launch upscale supper club series Plated Possibilities
Tiore McFarland, Reyaña Radcliff, and Marketa Anita Appiah combine different backgrounds and styles
by Michelle Boudin
Tiore McFarland was a preschool teacher for 20 years when she decided to go to French culinary school. That lead to an apprenticeship in France and later a job in the kitchen at the Four Seasons in Baltimore. Her two careers came together when she started working as an instructor at Sur Le Table, but it was late last year that her passion for cooking really kicked into high gear as she joined forces with two other powerhouse black women chefs in Charlotte to launch a new upscale supper club series, Plated Possibilities.
“We decided that we really wanted to kind of give an idea of luxury experiences while also focusing on sustainability and creating relationships with creatives in the area and highlighting the food scene of North Carolina and all that it has to offer,” she says.
McFarland teamed with chefs Reyaña Radcliff and Marketa Anita Appiah to create the joint venture and launch a new luxury five-part culinary series called Beyond The Plate. The women say Plated Possibilities was created to address the visibility gap that Black women often face in the food and hospitality industry, with each multi-course dinner pairing locally sourced ingredients with intentional design and cultural connection, highlighting a featured chef or chef collaboration while partnering with local venues, artisans, and producers.
“We wanted to offer something that’s luxurious, but also a storytelling experience as well — and one where we can really highlight who we are and the backgrounds that we come from, the cuisines that we’re familiar with, that we’ve been able to dive into throughout our chef careers,” McFarland explains.
She says the three women have different styles and influences that all somehow blend perfectly. McFarland was born in Rhode Island, grew up in Virginia, but studied In France, so she describes her cuisine as soulful southern with an American flair and a French twist.
Reyaña Radcliff says her New Orleans roots are almost always evident in her cooking. “I had a lot of Creole and Cajun influences growing up, and so what’s normal to me is exquisite for other people,” she says. “We would have jambalaya and gumbo for lunch in elementary school, and I thought that was just normal.”
Radcliff has spent 22 years working with the flavors of her youth and honing her skills, including graduating from Johnson and Wales, a stint cooking at a high-end resort and another time cooking for the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill before settling in Charlotte.
Marketa Anita Appiah came to the Queen City to attend Johnson and Wales after giving up a partial scholarship to the CIA in New York. Raised by a single mom, she says she couldn’t stand to see her mom give everything up so she could attend school, so she switched gears.
“I spent a lot of my adolescent years in the North in Massachusetts, but I always spent summers in the South,” she says. “After high school, I went to the CIA on scholarship but it was still really expensive. My mom emptied out a portion of her 401k to put me through culinary school and it was crazy. She was a single mom trying to help me live my dream. So when I did my internship at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, I decided to transfer to Johnson & Wales in Charlotte. I became immersed in the culinary community here because they were so accepting.”
The three women work together often and late last year decided to make their partnership official. The inaugural dinner, The Sisterhood Social, was in March, in honor of International Women’s Day where the conversation starters for attendees were about the women in their lives, and the chefs talked about the women in their lives who inspired their cooking. Dishes included “Not Ya mama’s Collards” with apples, sweet candied bacon, cornbread croutons goat cheese and watermelon molasses and “Soul Comfort”, a foie gras yellow grits with a hint of truffle and a touch of creme fraiche.
Last month they teamed with Opera Carolina and Don Luchi Wines for their second event, in honor of Mother’s Day. More are planned for July 19, September 13, and November 8, with themes and locations to be announced.
Click the link to view upcoming Plated Possibilities events.
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