Hope Haven to Feature Local Personalities in Culinary Competition
Next Level Hope will support one of region's only family-friendly recovery facilities
With the new season of Bravo’s Top Chef placing the spotlight on Charlotte in its premiere this week, a local residential recovery center has announced its own culinary competition featuring Charlotte-area chefs and influencers.
Next Level Hope will be a culinary competition that serves as a fundraiser for Hope Haven, an organization that has helped individuals and families move beyond cycles of addiction, homelessness and instability for 50 years.
Inspired by Next Level Chef, the Fox reality competition show hosted by Chef Gordon Ramsay, Next Level Hope will pair three professional chefs with three social media culinary creators from the Charlotte area to collaborate and compete in creating their own take on a “homemade meal.”
The theme is meant to reflect the comfort, stability and sense of belonging that Hope Haven works to provide for the individuals and families it serves, according to a release announcing the inaugural event on Wednesday.
A panel of “Charlotte celebrity judges” will anonymously taste and score the items created by the participating teams, though guests will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite team. Non-competing culinary professionals from across the city will also be on hand to provide hors d’oeuvres and mocktails for guests of the event.
Chef Andres Kaifer, head chef at 2023 Best in the Nest winner for Best Restaurant Customshop and co-founder of new Dilworth wine bar Emmy Lou’s, will serve as a consultant for Next Level Hope. Participants haven’t yet been announced.
Kaifer said he got involved with the project because he was eager to expand his involvement in the nonprofit space. He will work with the team of participants and the on-site chef at Hope Haven to organize the event and best showcase the chef talent.
Read more: Under New Ownership, Customshop Becomes a True Food Destination (2023)
Zoe Playe, vice president of advancement at Hope Haven, said she was inspired by the way the show Next Level Chef brings together people who have different culinary backgrounds and challenges them to collaborate in ways they might otherwise never have a chance to do.
“That idea really resonated with us,” she said. “At Hope Haven, we see every day how powerful it can be when people with different stories and experiences come together to support each other’s growth. This event will offer a ‘taste of home,’ and serve as a fun and meaningful way to capture the spirit of our mission.”
Hope Haven serves more than 300 men, women and children annually, addressing recovery, housing stability and family reunification through long-term residential programming at its facility, a former motel site on North Tryon Street.
Founded in 1976, the CARF-accredited organization is one of the few residential recovery communities in the region that allows parents to live on campus with their children, creating an environment where families can heal together.
Next Level Hope is scheduled for May 15, 7–9 p.m. at The Forum at Hope Haven, 3815 N. Tryon St. Tickets are $125, with more details on participating chefs, judges and ticket sales to be announced in the coming weeks.
