Say “bonjour” to Colletta’s just-announced executive chef, Oscar Gnapi! Hailing from Paris, Gnapi will join Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s Italian restaurant at Fenton (slated to open later this summer!) and bring with him 20-plus years of esteemed experience—with stints at restaurants and hotels in Paris, Italy, London, California, Chapel Hill and Cary——covering a diverse range of cuisines.
Photo by Miranda Mounts
“I was raised in Paris with a very large family and am from a culture where cooking was as valued as breathing air,” says Gnapi. For as long as he remembers, Gnapi has pursued the culinary arts. He boasts a degree in the culinary arts from the CEFAA in Villepinte, France, and formal training via an internship in Italy. Following his schooling, Gnapi worked across Europe at five-star hotels including George V in Paris and Le Meridien and SoHo House in London, and has worked with such renowned chefs as Michel Rostang, Daniel Boulud, Bruno Loubet, Pascal Even and Jean-Pierre Gagnaire, to name a few.
Gnapi came to North Carolina in 2007 to serve as the executive sous-chef on the opening team of An: New World Cuisine for three years, before serving as executive chef of La Residence in Chapel Hill in 2017 and at the Unscripted Hotel in 2018. Now, he’s bringing his knowledge of traditional European and Italian cuisine to Colletta.
Translating to “collection” in Italian, Colletta—which will be Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s third Triangle restaurant (joining DTR’s O-Ku and Oak Steakhouse)—will feature a compilation of dining experiences, with a focus on Italian-American dishes. Think pasta scratch-made in-house daily, antipasti, pizza and more, plus a “for the table” dining option curated for a family-style experience.
“I have such a love and appreciation for the culinary arts and have been lucky enough to learn from some of the most talented chefs of our time,” says Gnapi. “I’m excited to deliver a memorable experience at Colletta—a meal any Nonna would enjoy!” Bon appétit!
Roots for Reece picnic returns this June at Under the Oak Farm—with every ticket purchase donated to the NCHRC.
Five years ago, local chef Blake Gotliffe (of JoCo’s Under the Oak Catering) lost his best friend Reece Byrd to a heroin overdose. It wasn’t the only friend he lost to this disease, and Gotliffe personally struggled with opiate addiction for many years—though he’s been clean for 12 years now. After Byrd passed away, Gotliffe wanted to do something about it, and so he started the Roots for Reece Chef’s Picnic.
After a pandemic-related halt, Roots for Reece is back for its fourth installment this year on Sunday, June 12, feat 13 local chefs and purveyors, five beverage vendors, live music from Lake Chamerbain, arts and crafts, and a silent auction—all under Gotliffe’s beautiful oak tree in his own backyard. Local participating chefs include Josiah Halbohm of Young Hearts Distillery, Kyle Fletcher of Norse River Brewing Company, Caroline Morrison of The Fiction Kitchen and Kyle Teears of Saint Jacques.
“I feel it is my duty as a survivor to do whatever I can to help others and prevent further losses to this horrible disease,” says Gotliffe. The picnic stems from Gotliffe’s Roots for Reece fundraising organization. The chef maintains a small farm in his backyard, and so he decided to donate all of his root vegetables to local restaurants who were willing to make a dish with them.
That first year, Gotliffe also hosted a few dinners at his farm with local chefs like Eric Montagne of Locals Seafood and Sean Fowler of Mandolin to raise additional funds. “We raised almost $6K that year,” says Gotliffe. One-hundred percent of proceeds were donated to the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that focuses on the distribution of free Narcan (paid for by fundraisers and donations like Roots for Reece), as well as education on how to administer it.
In 2019, Gotliffe says they had so many local chefs interested that he decided to make Roots for Reece into a food festival-style picnic event. That year, 15 chefs, four breweries, a live band and guest speakers came together to form the first Roots for Reece Chef’s Picnic—and raised almost $10k.
“Roots for Reece is an important cause to me because opioid addiction is very common in the restaurant industry,” says Teears. “I have seen it claim the lives of friends, family members, and co-workers. It will be an honor to help chef Blake Gotliffe with this cause.” The cherry on top? Just one ticket can potentially save four lives. It’s a win-win. Purchase tickets here.
Lake hair, don’t care. GreenLife Boat Cruises is about to float your boat this season. Here’s how.
Ahoy! All aboard Captain Carleton Green’s GreenLife Boat Cruises in Falls Lake. Started during the pandemic to rekindle the joy he felt as a kid of being out on the water, Green offers various timed premium boat rides and cruises that are ideal for soaking up some rays with your crew this summer. A Black- and family-owned business, GreenLife also propels its services with partnerships with other Black and local businesses like Seven Springs Winery, On Board Catering & Charcuterie, cigars from Abbie’s Tobacco Shop, EnTOURage Party Bus, and more. “GreenLife is an elevated experience for people to enjoy the leisure Falls Lake has to offer with a core focus on pouring back into the community,” says Green. Now, it’s aboat time you catch a ride. Read on for what you need to know before booking your boat cruise.
Bucks: $400 for a two-hour ride; $800 for a four-hour ride; $1,200 for a six-hour ride; $1,600 for an eight-hour ride; $250 for a two-hour fishing trip
Boat crew: Holds 9 people
What’s included: All private charters include a licensed captain, courtesy bottle of wine for every two hours, stops of your choice, and a cooler with ice.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… giant cat?! After going viral on social media, Triangle-based digital artist Matt McCarthy is displaying his surreal cat creations in the main gallery of the Cary Arts Center from June 2–28—and they’re pawsitively a must-see. Magnus Cattus (which translates to “big cat” in Latin) will present over 20 prints of McCarthy’s delightful giant cat pieces—aka his largest show to date. Inspired by his own cats playing with an insect, the majority of McCarthy’s work features oversize domestic felines in humorous scenes, from lying on a beach full of people to staring down a busy sidewalk to doing yoga in the middle of a city (it’s giving Godzilla for sure). It only amplifies cats’ typical personality traits—curious, lazy, opinionated. … “I think house-cat personalities are more closely aligned with human personalities than any other animal,” says McCarthy. “The major difference is that cats don’t pay any attention to personal or societal inhibitions and are unabashedly themselves.” As it turns out, kitties make a purr-fect muse. mrmattmccarthy.com
Former bank executive-turned-artist is leaving her mark on Midtown—and propping up kids in the process.
When most people gear up to retire, they hope to focus on traveling, hobbies and family. But for local artist Chris Young, going into retirement meant spending more time on art, community involvement and philanthropy. The former regional executive of First Citizens Bank, Young was also on the board of Midtown Raleigh Alliance for several years, even serving as its chairperson for one. And as part of her community leadership and engagement work with MRA, she was on the team that spearheaded the original MRA banner contest in an attempt to facilitate more art in Midtown. Now, starting in June, it’s Young’s designs that will decorate the banners across Midtown—a full circle moment.
Following MRA’s 10th anniversary, “we thought this was a wonderful opportunity to cast light on one of the organization’s founding members, who is a talented artist with a strong connection to Midtown,” says MRA Executive Director Tara Lightner Robbins about Young.
For her own part, Young says she’s always considered herself a creative person, but she didn’t really start painting until her son went away to college. “I was like, ‘You know what, there’s a hole, and what should I fill that hole with,’” she says. It wasn’t until she saw a Monet exhibit at the NCMA, though, that she picked up a paintbrush and started doing workshops—while still working at First Citizens Bank. “I was a weekend kind of a painter,” adds Young. “It was something at that time that really balanced that business/analytics side of my life with the creative and artistic side.”
While Young’s art typically tends to be more landscape, the two different banners she created for MRA—her first public art project!—are comprised of big, bold geometric and abstract shapes that are easily visible from street level and lend a vibrant energy to the area. They also both have people in them. “I wanted the banners to convey that Midtown is a great place—day or night—in a really colorful and positive way,” says Young. “And we [Robbins] were talking about how experiencing Midtown—and Midtown as a destination of choice—is just something we wanted to celebrate in the banner.”
To boot, Young marries her passion for art and philanthropy by donating a majority of her art sales to nonprofits. The proceeds from this particular project will go toward the YMCA of the Triangle, specifically to support scholarships for kids to go to camp this summer. “I love the Y,” says Young. “Our son went to the Y; we’re individual donors; and I’ve helped with fundraising over the years. I just love how they help kids who might not otherwise have that experience. These annual campaign dollars really make that happen.” midtownraleighalliance.org
