Cranky Chef

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

Celebrating Donna’s 50th Birthday at The The VENUE at South Main in Franklinton!

We've been a little quiet on here lately, but definitely not in the kitchen!

We recently had the pleasure of celebrating Donna's 50th birthday alongside 85+ of her closest friends and family at The Venue in Franklinton!

What an incredible group of people! The energy, the laughter, and the love in that room made this one of the most engaging celebrations we've had the pleasure of catering. It was an absolute blast being part of it, and we had so much fun working with Donna and her daughter Casey to bring everything together!

For the celebration, we put together a Southern-inspired menu with plenty of Cranky Chef touches, focusing on fresh preparation, flavor, and presentation.

Here's what we served!

To Start

House-made pimento cheese crostini with smoked paprika and fire-roasted pimentos

Citrus basil whipped goat cheese crostini topped with our slow-cooked sweet onion jam

Southern Mixed Greens Salad

Fresh greens, pickled red onions, cheddar, cornbread croutons, and our house-made honey citrus basil vinaigrette.

Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken & Rosemary Thyme Waffles

Chicken brined in sweet tea and fried fresh throughout service, paired with savory rosemary thyme waffles made fresh as guests were served, finished with hot honey.

Blackened Shrimp & White Cheddar Stone-Ground Grits

Shrimp freshly sautéed in batches throughout service with blistered tomatoes, caramelized onions, and garlic, served over creamy white cheddar grits and finished with a light white w**e pan sauce. Each plate assembled, garnished, and handed to guests fresh and hot!

Southern Sides

Slow-braised collard greens with smoked turkey, onions, garlic, and Southern seasonings

Southern-style green beans

Fresh-baked honey butter corn muffins

And this event marked something pretty exciting for Cranky Chef!

We got to put a brand-new addition to our arsenal to work for the very first time — our fully equipped mobile kitchen!

This opens up a whole new level of what we can bring to an event, especially at venues without a kitchen. Freshly fried chicken, waffles coming off the griddle, shrimp sautéed in batches — all prepared right there on location.

And making our first mobile kitchen event even better, we had our good friend and fellow Executive Chef Tammy join us in the kitchen! It was great having her alongside us for this one, helping bring everything together. After all, two chefs are better than one!

It's another way we're working to take a catered event and turn it into a private dining experience, with freshly prepared, beautifully presented food served hot, just as it would be coming out of a restaurant kitchen.

More to come on this exciting addition!

A huge thank you to Donna, Bo, and Casey for trusting us with such a special celebration! We had an absolute blast being part of it. And of course, thank you to Kris and the entire team at The The VENUE at South Main in Franklinton for having us!

10/10/2026

HALLOWEEN W**E DINNER — OCTOBER 30TH

Just a few weeks away, and we're getting excited for an amazing Halloween W**e Dinner at Lake Gaston Coffee Company!

This small, intimate dining experience will feature a four-course, chef-curated menu, with each course personally presented tableside and paired with exceptional w**es.

Amazing food, great w**e, and a unique dining experience with a little Halloween flair!

Seating is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot for this special evening.

09/20/2026

HALLOWEEN W**E DINNER

If you missed out on our sold-out Valentine’s Dinner earlier this year, here’s your chance!

Cranky Chef is heading back to Lake Gaston Coffee Company for a special Halloween W**e Dinner on Friday, October 30th!

Halloween isn’t just for the kids. This is a chance for the adults to get out, enjoy the holiday, have some incredible food and w**e, and just have a great night.

We’re keeping this one small and intimate, which makes it even more fun — enjoy dinner, meet some new people, share a few laughs, and experience Halloween a little differently this year.

For the evening, we’ve created a four-course, chef-curated dining experience built specifically around the flavors of fall and the spirit of the night. Each course has been thoughtfully designed from start to finish, with w**e pairings selected to complement the menu. Take a look at what we’ve put together!

Tickets are already selling, and with very limited seating, this one will sell out fast.

Grab your tickets, bring your date or a couple of friends, and come enjoy an adult night out for Halloween with us.

Tickets are available through the event link below.

Cranky Chef Private Dining

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flakegastoncoffee.com%2Fcollections%2Fevent-tickets%2Fproducts%2F2026-halloween-dinner%3Ffbclid%3DIwcGRvZgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFnQ0pUaERCODJtUG14S3R2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmARqriYBInQf02oU64sCR9k6Lk0oLbQDLQjMwGAT87Zvlky6-EkWrUb5OR1_aem_gtdPUXNbwfsT3cbDXi8AXQ&h=AUBKhp79I2YGpuuuO32kaALaexznF9O1sBdDVs1Msc-DFFc2qKho5ZII75Dvl8kMFq4Z9NYE6l6Sw7cKLiJjxBtJK9zPqQSpN3YQvPd2RAmJRNPIsLq2yJ0J0v8lMS0hHRX8EQ

08/27/2026

We continue to grow!

We’re excited to officially bring the retail side of Cranky Chef to another community that we’ve really enjoyed working in over the years — Littleton and the Lake Gaston area!

You can now find us at Country Pickin' Farms’ Farms in Littleton, where we’re excited to showcase some of what makes Cranky Chef great and bring it into anyone and everyone’s home.

We’re starting with our signature line of chef-made chicken salads, with fresh-made salads, dressings, breads, desserts and plenty more to come as we continue to build and grow our retail line.

We’ve spent years bringing our food into homes through private dinners, events and catering, and now we’re finding a whole new way to do it.

We’re excited about this new partnership, excited to be in Littleton and the Lake Gaston community, and we’re just getting started!

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08/16/2026

Last night we had the opportunity to take over another beautiful home kitchen and put together a fresh summer three-course private dinner.

One of my favorite parts of these evenings is that our guests get to see what actually goes into the food—not just the finished plate.

We opened last night with our Shrimp & White Cheddar Grit Cake.

We started with slowly cooked grits, folded in freshly grated white cheddar, formed each cake in ring molds and chilled them until set. From there, they were lightly battered with fresh local eggs, coated in panko and seared until golden and crispy on the outside while staying creamy and almost melty in the center.

Then came the Gulf shrimp—seasoned and marinated before being sautéed with garlic and shallots, deglazed with white w**e, then finished with fresh herbs, a touch of cream and cold butter to bring together a silky pan sauce.

The final plate was finished with blistered tomatoes, roasted garlic, our house-made roasted tomato & garlic oil, fresh herbs and edible micro flowers.

Crispy, creamy, buttery, bright—and a pretty fun way to start dinner.

And that's really what these evenings are about.

We prepare the food right there in your kitchen. As each course comes together, we plate it, bring it to the table and talk our guests through what they're eating—the ingredients, the techniques, where some of those ingredients came from, the inspiration behind the dish and occasionally a chef tip, trick or story along the way.

Every sauce. Every vinaigrette. Every component on the plate. Chef made.

We don't take shortcuts because a Cranky Chef private dinner isn't just about putting great food on the table. It's about everything that happens around it—the cooking, the conversation, the presentation, the stories and ultimately sitting around a table with friends enjoying a night you'll remember.

Great food is where it starts. The experience is what brings it all together.

Cranky Chef

08/14/2026

Fresh , Crispy , and drenched in seasoning ….

08/08/2026

Today’s the day!
We’re out at Creedmoor Kitchen & Farm Market today for their Ribbon Cutting, and we’re excited to officially launch some of the first Cranky Chef retail products!

We’ve got the coolers stocked with:

Cranky Chef’s Classic Chicken Salad
Chicken Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad
Albacore Tuna Salad
Fresh Fried Kettle Chips
Chef-Made Ranch Dip/Dressing

Everything is made fresh with the same quality and care we put into our dinners and events — now you can grab some to take home!

Come out and see us today at 103 Lake Road in Creedmoor, check out the new market, grab some Cranky Chef goodies, and most importantly, support all of the great local vendors who are bringing their products to the community.

Come shop local, support local NC businesses, and enjoy some great fresh-made products. We’d love to see you!

08/02/2026

There's been a lot happening behind the scenes at Cranky Chef, and we're excited to finally start sharing some of it. Over the past few months we've been working on several new projects, and today we're excited to announce the first.

Cranky Chef is officially expanding into the retail market!

Along with our catering, private chef experiences, and cooking classes, we'll now be offering a growing line of fresh, handcrafted foods and specialty snacks. From fresh-fried kettle chips and house-made dips and dressings to seasonal creations, we've got some exciting things in the works.

Before we could officially launch, there was one important milestone to reach, and we're proud to say we passed our health inspection with a 100%.

We're kicking things off with Cranky Chef's Classic Chicken Salad—made with tender white chicken breast, Duke's® mayonnaise, fresh chopped celery and onion, a touch of organic honey, an aromatic blend of herbs and seasonings, then finished with fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for just the right amount of brightness.

We're proud to partner with The Franklinton Market and The Creedmoor Kitchen & Farm Creedmoor Kitchen and Farm Market, where you'll now find our Classic Chicken Salad in the cooler.

We've still got a few more exciting things we've been working on behind the scenes, and we'll be sharing them with you real soon. We're just getting started.

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07/19/2026

This is what a private dining experience with Cranky Chef looks like. Every menu is built from scratch around our guests, using quality ingredients, classic techniques, and a passion for creating memorable evenings. From the first course to the last bite, it's more than dinner—it's an experience shared around the table.
Ready to plan your own? We'd love to help bring your next celebration to life.