Shai Fargian: Yafo Kitchen (Charlotte, NC)

Charlotte, NC has a love affair with fast, casual food. Maybe it's the brisk pace of the banking world or the sprawl of roads that make commute times long but whatever it is, the city doesn't shy away from standing in line and ordering counter service. One of its favorite spots is Yafo Kitchen, which has multiple locations and is brought up by Charlotteans almost every time I visit with phrases like "Have you had their hummus?" or "I just try not to go more than once a week." And that's because of Shai Fargian, Executive Chef and Partner at Yafo, who began this local chain with a dedication to making Charlotte fall in love with Middle Eastern food. Originally from Israel, Shai's cooking lessons began when he was a child alongside his grandmother. He served in the Israeli Army for seven years, eventually rising to serve as an Operations Officer leading a brigade of 2000 people. After retiring and enrolling in college, he began cooking in kitchens, moving through the ranks there too, then moving to the US, where Shai worked in New York City under restaurateur David Burke. In 2015, he and his wife Sharon moved to Charlotte, and in 2016, Yafo was born. Shai sources locally whenever he can, applies his love of operations to his culinary creativity, and as for that hummus? It's made in house, and the restaurant serves 180 gallons of it a week.