Chef Info

Drew Dodd is the executive chef at NC•RED. He joined the MRG team in late 2014, and was promoted to executive chef at Stagioni less than a year later. A native of Nashville, Drew has been working in kitchens since he was 15 years old. He started as a dishwasher, and quickly moved up to cooking. Drew fell in love with, as he puts it, the "controlled chaos” of restaurant kitchens. Drew has lived all over the U.S. and worked in kitchens in Seattle, Spokane, and Boston before moving to Charlotte in 2007 to attend Johnson & Wales University. He worked in several restaurants in Charlotte, including serving as executive chef at George's Brasserie, before joining MRG in 2014 to work with Chef Bruce Moffett—which was one of his wish-list items. For Drew, NC•RED is a culmination of his culinary experience. His time in Boston gave him a solid foundation—and respect for—northeastern seafood staples, and his hometown roots shine in the southern specialties. Don't sleep on his Nashville hot chicken—it’s a menu must-have.