Our Local Partners
From heirloom vegetables grown just down the road to world-famous ham from neighboring Tennessee, we highlight special ingredients from small family farms and regional producers on our modern Southern menu.
View Our PartnersFrom heirloom vegetables grown just down the road to world-famous ham from neighboring Tennessee, we highlight special ingredients from small family farms and regional producers on our modern Southern menu.
View Our PartnersFresh and local has long been Chef Tim Groody’s mantra. He’s well known for being among the first chefs in the region to create relationships with farmers, allowing him to use local produce in his restaurants at a time when it wasn’t a consideration for most.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Groody grew to appreciate the importance of high quality, locally-sourced ingredients while working alongside prominent industry leaders in New York City and California, where farm stands and markets were abundant.
He has called the Carolinas home since the late 1990s. He spent considerable time in regionally significant restaurants such as Magnolia Grill in Durham and Sonoma Bistro in Charlotte. Under his direction, Sonoma became the first four star-awarded restaurant in the Charlotte area in a decade, and he paved the way for other chefs and restaurants to emphasize locally grown ingredients on their menus.
Groody served as Corporate Executive Chef of FS Food Group, overseeing five concepts with seven total locations. He also owned and led the kitchen at Flatiron Kitchen and Taphouse.
Groody also owned and operated Fork! and Ramen Soul restaurants in the Lake Norman area.
When Groody isn’t shopping at farmer’s markets or experimenting with hyper-local ingredients and new techniques, he is spending time with family at home in Mooresville. At night, he likes to frequent local establishments and enjoy live music.