How Sanguine Founders Take Their Influence Offline and Into Camp North End

The first time Chann Daily and husband Montrel “Monny” Little recall hearing the word “sanguine” was on a TV show. The word, the definition of which is “to be optimistic in the face of adversity,” became an inside joke between the couple and their growing TikTok audience. 

Eventually, however, it became deeper than that, as the word has since turned into a lifestyle that will culminate in the launch of Daily and Little’s first culinary space, How Sanguine, set to open on June 14 at Camp North End.

Originally launched in 2024, How Sanguine is a curated, food-centered, experiential brand that operates under the premise that food is a gateway to connection, creativity and community, according to its owners. 

The seventh and final live/work retail unit to be leased inside the Kinship development at Camp North End, located at 115 Razades Way, How Sanguine’s new storefront will host intimate culinary events, private dining experiences and hands-on cooking classes that celebrate food, culture and community.

Daily and Little have been on a journey since the pandemic, when they began making TikToks as a fun way to stay entertained during the pandemic and quickly gained a massive following thanks in part to Chef Little’s cooking clips.   

“When Monny and I first went viral, it was during our engagement, and from there it snowballed — especially once we started sharing videos of my husband’s decadent recipes,” Daily told Queen City Nerve.

They’ve since capitalized on that following to launch a full-fledged business. 

“With a growing community of over 400,000 followers, we are redefining what modern dining experiences can feel like: intentional, artistic, and deeply human,” Little said in a Monday press release announcing the opening.

Little and Daily’s content and influence are moving offline to the couple’s favorite place in the Carolinas: Camp North End.

“TikTok changed the game for us,” Daily said. “And we’re just getting started.”

Little will head the culinary vision for the new space while Daily will helm operations and content, all while completing his MBA at Duke University.

“Monny is a creative soul,” Daily said. “He’s not just a chef — he’s an artist first. And as an artist, he wants people to feel … He’s ethereal and thrives in intimate settings.”

From the start, the couple wanted to keep things small. Daily said he’s been in too many spaces where he felt overlooked or invisible, so he and Little wanted to build something that felt like the opposite. In their Kinship studio, everyone is embraced. 

The warm and intimate aesthetic draws from the people-first, communal dinners Daily experienced while studying abroad in Spain, blending the culture of “siete” with the intimacy of Southern hospitality and the vibrant creativity of Black and queer culture, according to Monday’s release.

Because Daily and Little are both Black and queer, they are deeply committed to making sure their community feels safe, welcomed and celebrated, Daily said.

“Safety is a priority. Peace is a priority,” he said. “And creating a loving environment where people can breathe, gather, and feel held — that’s something we all need right now.”

The How Sanguine Studio, as the space will be officially known, will offer two dining rooms, a full kitchen, a flex-use podcast studio and a private patio, according to its website. The space will generate revenue from memberships, meal prep services, private events, chef-led experiences and creative rentals.

The studio will operate as a members-only space with weekly programming open to the public. Tuesdays for example, will feature cooking classes from noon-3 p.m. followed by Mad Miles post-run-club cooldowns with specialty salads from 7-9 p.m.

Members are provided creative coworking hours with food displays on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. They’ll enjoy members-only community dinners on Thursdays and Saturdays from 6 p.m.-11 p.m. 

Membership inquiries opened June 2 on the studio’s website and will launch on June 14. 

How Sanguine will reserve Fridays and Sundays for special, private events. Reservations can be made up to seven days in advance through the website.

“As gay Black men, we’ve faced criticism from people who don’t believe we deserve the joy and abundance in our lives,” Daily said. “But despite all that, we choose joy, optimism and success — unapologetically … And that, to us, is very sanguine.”