11 NC chefs dish out advice & inspiration for holiday meals
Need inspiration for your holiday meals? We asked 11 North Carolina chefs to share their go-to dishes and traditions for this celebratory season.
When it comes to finding out what to serve at your holiday feast, North Carolina chefs are the experts. They understand how to host guests, when to stress (and when not to), and how certain dishes will complement the menu. Our chefs use the finest ingredients, finding many through our state’s agricultural community.
“Local farmers and local producers have become very important to the restaurant (industry),” says Heidi Billotto, a food and travel writer based in Charlotte. “Chefs care about supporting locally grown and raised products.”
Follow in these chefs’ footsteps, says Billotto, and visit a farmers marker. Add one or two seasonal products, such as leafy greens, potatoes, sweetpotatoes (yes, it’s one word), or winter squash to your holiday table.
Read on for more menu ideas and hosting tips from these North Carolina chefs.
Comments have been edited for clarity and length.
1. Lon Bounsanga: Saap in Cary
Favorite holiday: My birthday is on Christmas!
Celebration: We typically do a Christmas and birthday bash combined. We have Christmas dinner at the restaurant with more than 20 family members, close friends, and staff.
Dish: My wife, Ann, is Irish Catholic. I’m from Laos. The two things always on the table are mashed potatoes and papaya salad. The best thing is I don’t do any of the cooking because it’s my birthday. The mashed potatoes are made using fingerling potatoes, Parmesan cheese, butter, and half-and-half or cream. The papaya salad is a classic Laotian dish made with shredded green papaya, garlic chives, cherry tomatoes, fish sauce, and tamarind sauce.
Pro tip: Holidays are about creating memories, having fun, and sharing a meal.
2. Bhavin Chhatwani: Tamasha Modern Indian in Raleigh
Favorite holiday: My favorite holiday is Diwali. It is the Hindu five-day “Festival of Lights” that brings prayers, feasts, fireworks, and for some, a new year. In India, Diwali is the most important festival of the year—a time to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.
Celebration: We make lots of sweets and delicious food at home, go shopping for new clothes, and some people buy gold, jewelry, cars, and heavy machinery during this week as it is considered very lucky. We light dozens of candles and clay lamps filled with oil, called diyas, which are placed throughout the home and outside to light up the dark nights
Pro tip: Traditions will inevitably evolve, but it is essential to keep reminding people of our rich heritage while embracing new changes with grace.
3. Deanna Clement (Chef Dee): The Table in Asheboro
Favorite holiday: Christmas, as it is my belief, and it is even more so about our blessings, cultures, communities, and giving.
Celebration: I often celebrate Christmas by making breakfast for any family members who can come. It’s a time of greeting and communing around the table before the gifting festivities begin.
Pro tip: A good rule to follow anytime you’re hosting a meal on a special occasion is to give yourself at least a week to prepare. Make lists for each day, including menu and food items to be stored cold or at room temperature. Have cooking and serving dishes assigned, out, and ready for use the evening before the hosted event.
4. James Dibella: Link&Pin, The Cellar, and Duckworth’s in Charlotte & Huntersville
Favorite holiday: Christmas is the best holiday because it lasts for an entire month. Festivities begin the day after Thanksgiving and, in my family, we always have our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. Christmas is a great time to get together with loved ones, strengthen bonds, and give gifts.
Dish: The dish that is always on the table for this holiday season has to be the candied yams. This dish is special to me because my Grandmother used to make candied yams for us every holiday season. She was a driving force in my life to attain a culinary degree. After she passed away, my sister and I were gifted with her recipes. Year after year we have been using her recipes to try and replicate her delicious yams. We are celebrating her and her legacy as our Grandmother.
Pro tip: I enjoy having a holiday movie on and light holiday music in the background to set the mood.
5. Brian Graybill: Pan in Fayetteville and Napkins in Hope Mills
Favorite holiday: No disrespect to Thanksgiving, of course, but as someone who enjoys cooking, I prefer Christmas. Thanksgiving feels a bit limiting when it comes to preparing a big meal—people have their traditional dishes, and you’d better be careful if you try to deviate too much! One year, I made a Thanksgiving dinner with just one rule: no cans, no casseroles. I thought it was delicious, colorful, and interesting, but I got some flak for not including green bean casserole, among other things.
Dish: When it comes to sides, I have a weak spot for stuffing—or dressing, as it should be called. Cooking it in the bird is overrated and just complicates things, in my opinion. I’m all about cornbread stuffing, sausage stuffing, apple stuffing, and oyster stuffing—whatever the variety, I love it!
Pro tip: Don’t experiment with a dish you’ve never tried before—today’s not the day for that!
6. Brandon Harris: 73 & Main in Mt. Pleasant
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving!
Dish: One of my favorite things to cook is my grandmother’s homemade dressing recipe, and it has to be cooked in a cast-iron skillet with the giblet gravy. This recipe is close to my heart since it’s been passed down from my grandmother and makes the holiday special every year.
Pro tip: My go-to is deep frying a turkey, and deviled eggs are a must.
7. Keith Henning: Black Powder Smokehouse in Jamestown
Celebrate: Our family goes all in for Christmas. We have the Advent calendar fired up with daily treats for my daughters. Christmas movies are on just about every night in December. There are cookie decorating contests, the baking of the traditional family shortbread recipe, and enough homemade Chex mix to feed a small village! We also spend a lot of time finding local Christmas light displays, going to different holiday craft shows, and attending downtown celebrations in both Asheboro and Jamestown.
Dish: For Christmas, we will always have a ham on the table. Our food traditions have changed over the years as we’ve lost loved ones and our kids have gotten older. We used to prepare sides that 99% of the table disliked, but we had to have for that one person. Those dishes are usually joked about now, but the ham will never go away.
Pro tip: The key for me is preparation. We try to do as much as we can several days before the celebration to eliminate stress and last-minute shopping runs.
8. Dean Neff: Seabird in Wilmington
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving, for sure! Every year we go to my family’s home in Athens, Georgia. It’s a homecoming of sorts with my parents, siblings, and all of our kids. We try to do it outdoors with a grill, bonfire, oysters, and traditional sides.
Celebration: I always bring oysters from North Carolina, shuck them, and serve them raw with a mignonette and hot sauce. And I typically make the stuffing. Last year, I found wild Lion’s Mane on my run that morning in the botanical garden, harvested it, and it became the star of our stuffing.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink it. Keep it simple. Don’t stress. It’s not supposed to be perfect!
9. Keith Rhodes: Catch in Wilmington
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving—we rent a beach house to host family and usually it’s potluck. Every member puts their best foot forward in making their favorite dish.
Dish: We will always roast a whole fish. It’s communal and a break from the classic turkey and ham.
Pro tip: Prep food ahead of time. Think of foods that hold well at room temp. Pickled fruit and veggies, even fermented veggies add pizazz to the menu. Great bread with cheese, dips, and jams is a hit as we are big snackers!
10. Coleen Speaks: Hummingbird, Posh Nosh Catering, and Whitaker & Atlantic in Raleigh
Favorite holiday: I really love New Year’s and keeping the tradition of cooking good luck meals. The potential of a fresh start is cleansing, and it’s truly when I can actually relax after all the chaos of the earlier holiday season.
Celebration: My family sets intentions for the year, writes them on bay leaves, and burns them to initiate that cleansing moment. Plus, it smells amazing!”
Dish: Shaved Brussels Sprouts salad with apples, parmesan, spiced nuts, and lemon vinaigrette. It’s easy to put together, and it’s crispy, crunchy, and fresh amongst the other traditional items that mostly meld together.
Pro tip: Consider your favorite local restaurant or catering resources that offer pre-prepped options and also delegate to your guests what they should bring.
11. Kanlaya Supachana’s (Chef Gun): Dalaya in Sylva
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion to celebrate by merging the essence of traditional Thanksgiving with the bold, vibrant flavors of Thailand. This fusion creates a truly unique and exciting culinary experience, making Thanksgiving a time to explore new tastes while honoring cherished traditions.
Celebrate: I celebrate Thanksgiving by gathering friends and family for a feast centered around Thai-inspired dishes. Specialties like drunken crab, stir-fried curry crab, and steamed lobster with Thai-style seafood dipping sauce are the stars of the table.
Dish: Oysters with Thai seafood dipping sauce are a must-have on my Thanksgiving table. The fresh oysters, paired with the spicy and tangy Thai seafood dipping sauce, offer a refreshing and flavorful start to the meal. This dish is special because it combines the natural brininess of the oysters with the vibrant, aromatic spices of Thai cuisine, making it an unforgettable appetizer.
Pro tip: For an unforgettable holiday celebration, focus on creating a diverse menu that blends traditional and innovative dishes. Remember, let your creativity shine through your menu.
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