Whether you want a big juicy steak, a steaming latte or an Italian meal to keep you warm on a cool fall night, new restaurants and food-related businesses that opened in October have something for you.
October saw the arrival of a high-end steakhouse in Cherryville, an Italian restaurant in McAdenville, and the long awaited opening of a coffee shop in Gastonia’s FUSE District.
Entrepreneurs like Cayse Phelps took a leap of faith and launched new ventures like her charcuterie store near the Rotary Pavilion in downtown Gastonia. And Stefannie Roundtree decided the time was right to expand her downtown bakery on Main Avenue.
This month’s restaurant and food news roundup also features a business on wheels that caters to our canine best friends, and a butcher shop that plans to open in Belmont word word that Nashville-style hot chicken might be on the menu in Gaston County soon.
Here’s a look at some of the restaurant stories The Gazette covered in October.
Graze & Piece, Gastonia
Graze & Piece, downtown Gastonia’s new charcuterie boutique started out as a small charcuterie cart and catering service.
Owner Cayse Phelps saw a video online featuring a mobile charcuterie cart and she thought, “I can do that,” she said.
After getting married in April and moving to Gaston County in June, she decided to take that idea to the next level and make it a brick-and-mortar location. On Oct. 1, she opened Graze & Piece Charcuterie Boutique next to Gastonia’s Rotary Centennial Pavilion.
At Graze & Piece, Phelps sells charcuterie cups, boxes and trays and specialty drinks like “friendship tea” which comes in a clear to-go cup so customers can see the cinnamon sticks, orange slices and cloves inside.
Waterbean Coffee, Gastonia
Waterbean Coffee opened its Gastonia location to the public on Oct. 17, letting guests know in a social media post that they could come get their favorite beverages a little closer to home.
Unlike its other Gaston County location in Belmont, the Gastonia Waterbean will offer more than fan-favorite drinks.
It will also offer a full alcohol bar, coffee tastings, classes, and an indoor space people can rent for small events.
Five Spur Steakhouse, Cherryville
Five Spur Steakhouse opened Oct. 2 at 115 E. Main St., Cherryville.
“We’re going to be heavy on the reservations to stay organized and make sure that all of our customers have a really, really great time without chaos ensuing and our service crew being overwhelmed,” said said owner Johnny Ray Bousselot, who goes by Johnny Ray. Ray also owns Johnny Ray Smokehouse in Fallston and The Hoot Nannie in Forest City.
The menu feature items like fillets, salmon, crabcakes, and fried cheese curds.
La Delizia, McAdenville
Executive chef Rita Lizzi sees customers as family.
Lizzi works at La Delizia, a new Italian restaurant in McAdenville, as well as Terra Mia, which operates under the same owner, Raffaele Falciai.
La Delizia, located next to Terra Mia on Main Street, opened in mid-October, and Lizzi, a creative chef known for her fresh, authentic Italian cuisine, is the spine of the operation. La Delizia offers authentic Italian food, not Americanized Italian, said Melissa Russell, the restaurant’s director of operations. The restaurant sells homemade gelato, fresh pastries, fresh bread, pasta and focaccia sandwiches, but Lizzi is constantly experimenting with new recipes, offering cuisine that isn’t necessarily even on the menu.
The restaurant also sells “take-and-bake” style meals, like Terra Mia’s lasagna, that people can buy and take home to put in the oven.
The New York Butcher Shoppe, Belmont
A butcher shop offering specialty meat, a wine bar and a market is set to open later this fall in Belmont. The New York Butcher Shoppe will open at the corner of Bryant Street and McLeod Avenue. The other five locations are in Dillworth, Indian Land, Davidson, Fort Mill and Cary. Construction on the Belmont location began last year.
Fannie Cakes Bakery
Years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Stefannie Roundtree to move her business, Fannie Cakes Bakery, into a smaller, to-go only location, she is finally moving back into a building with a dining room.
The move will allow her to expand the menu and potentially business hours, she said.
Rountree brought Fannie Cakes Bakery to Gastonia about eight years ago, opening the business at 105 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, a location with enough room for seating.
In coming weeks, however, Roundtree will make minor renovations to a storefront around the corner and move the bakery to 101 W. Main Ave., a storefront that formerly housed Turkey Hustlerz.
Simply American Dog Treats
It’s not just people that recognize Amy Bossard when she frequents local farmers markets ― dogs do too, and for good reason. Bossard operates Simply American Dog Treats, a food truck that sells dog and cat treats.
“I am a destination business,” Bossard said. “No day is ever the same. I love meeting my customers.”
Bossard opened her business in July 2018, and since then, it’s taken off. She sells dog treats at the Belmont Farmers Market, as well as other farmers markets in both North and South Carolina.
Dave’s Hot Chicken, Gastonia
One of America’s fastest-growing restaurant chains, which specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken, may be coming to Gastonia. In an email Oct. 29, the city’s director of Economic Development, Kristy Crisp, confirmed that Dave’s Hot Chicken recently submitted a permit and plans for a Gastonia location, which are currently under review.
Graze & Piece, Gastonia
A look at Graze & Piece Charcuterie Boutique in Gastonia, NC
Graze & Piece Charcuterie Boutique owner Cayse Phelps demonstrates two charcuterie cups from her menu.
Graze & Piece, downtown Gastonia’s new charcuterie boutique started out as a small charcuterie cart and catering service. Owner Cayse Phelps saw a video online featuring a mobile charcuterie cart and she thought, “I can do that,” she said. After getting married in April and moving to Gaston County in June, she decided to take that idea to the next level and make it a brick-and-mortar location. On Oct. 1, she opened Graze & Piece Charcuterie Boutique next to Gastonia’s Rotary Centennial Pavilion.
Five Spur Steakhouse, Cherryville
A steakhouse has opened in downtown Cherryville in early October.
Five Spur Steakhouse opened Oct. 2 at 115 E. Main St., Cherryville, said owner Johnny Ray Bousselot, who goes by Johnny Ray.
“We’re going to be heavy on the reservations to stay organized and make sure that all of our customers have a really, really great time without chaos ensuing and our service crew being overwhelmed,” Ray said.
Ray also owns Johnny Ray Smokehouse in Fallston and The Hoot Nannie in Forest City.
Dining and Cooking