Sam Hart - Counter
WHO: Sam Hart is the owner of Irreverently Refined Hospitality and executive chef of Counter- in Charlotte, NC.
ABOUT: Hart’s journey to fine dining was not a traditional one. Upon graduating from Dickinson College in 2011, they entered the business world working in advertising. After five years in corporate America, Hart realized that his passion for cooking could serve a greater purpose in his life, so in 2016, Hart made the leap to pursue a culinary degree and enrolled at Central Piedmont Community College. Throughout his time in culinary school, Hart worked at some of Charlotte’s most lauded establishments, including Heirloom, Myers Park Country Club, Angeline’s, and Haymaker.
In October of 2018, Hart moved to Chicago, IL to immerse themselves in the world of fine dining, beginning at three-Michelin-starred Alinea. In 2019, Hart explored Japanese cuisine, working as a sashimi chef at Momotaro alongside Chef Gene Kato. Looking for a break from the hustle of the restaurant industry and with a desire to give back, Hart took a job as the lead culinary instructor at The Kids’ Table, a cooking school in Chicago for children and families, while also working as a private chef, focusing on high level in-home tasting menus, a gig that ultimately became the research and development phase for Counter-.
Hart returned to Charlotte in October of 2019 to open his own concept, Counter-, named to represent the antithesis to traditional fine dining restaurants, which began as a monthly pop-up and quickly took off. In September of 2020, Hart opened Counter-’s brick and mortar location.
Hart’s passion for cultural change is ingrained in every aspect of Counter-, from employee benefits and fair pay for suppliers (and if suppliers aren’t paid enough, they’ll take the task in-house) to giving back to the community through nonprofit partners including The Relatives, The Bulb, and Time Out Youth. Hart’s goal is for Counter- to be an incubator for rising star chefs, providing them a place for empowerment, guidance, and inspiration to open their own concepts in Charlotte and elevate the dining scene in the southern city that raised them.
In 2024, Hart formed the employee-owned hospitality group, Irreverently Refined Hospitality, which encompasses Counter-, as well as two forthcoming concepts, Spaghett and Maneki, set to open in 2025, furthering their mission to push the boundaries of traditional fine dining.
WHAT: Chef-owner Sam Hart of Counter- in North Carolina — and other noteworthy establishments — returns to the stage for another extraordinary evening. A 2023 finalist in the James Beard Awards: Best Chef in the Southeast, Sam honed his chops at Michelin-starred Alinea, Publican Quality Meats, and some of Charlotte’s most lauded restaurants. The class will focus on ribeye, the top choice among many steak lovers. Sam will demonstrate multiple recipes involving ribeye and how each element should be cooked in different ways. He’s also bringing up a whole ribeye from his partner farm Brasstown, which maintains consistency in beef flavor and tenderness from humane treatment in a sustainable environment.
WHEN: Monday, October 20, 6PM - 8PM EST
WHERE: De Gustibus Cooking School