CHARLOTTE — Stepping into the intimate Restaurant Constance in Charlotte’s Wesley Heights neighborhood you’re instantly drawn to the personal touches.
One of the first things owner and chef Sam Diminich showed Your704′s Elsa Gillis were pictures of his family that adorn one wall. On another wall, guests will find a tribute to things Diminich and his children love.
“(They’re) my two best friends, 19 and 15, and they’ve been there for me when I needed them,” Diminich said. “I think it’s important not to forget where you come from and to have the opportunity to honor them.”
The restaurant is named after his daughter, and it allows him to continue what his family has done since his grandfather emigrated from Italy at age 13.
“He just fell in love with taking care of people and so that’s a tradition I grew up in and continue to this day,” Diminich explained.
The restaurant is creating a lot of buzz on the Charlotte food scene.
“We get to celebrate our farmers and suppliers. We get to celebrate seasons. Mother Nature, for the most part, writes the menu for us,” he said.
While the food is celebrated, it’s also Diminich’s inclusive and creative non-alcoholic beverage program that’s significant. Not an afterthought, the program is designed to complement the food or shine on its own.
Drinks such as the “Thai Fighter” feature blistered shishito peppers, yuzu, and Thai basil while “The Rocker” is made with a peach consommé and coconut milk.
“If you’re a non-drinker … or you just don’t feel like drinking, you can come in here and have some fun and it doesn’t have to be Pellegrino and it doesn’t have to be unsweetened tea,” he said.
Diminich shared that he’s been sober for more than eight years and he considers it the most important decision he’s made in his life.
“We don’t have to hide conversations about addiction and alcoholism,” he said. “It’s everywhere and it does not discriminate, I promise you. So, let’s not perpetuate the problem, let’s be part of the solution, and that’s what we’re doing here.”
Diminich says they consider themselves agents of change at Restaurant Constance, working to do better in the industry and be a place of hope. His beverage program is a piece of that.
“I think food is one of the last unifying elements that we have in our society, the one that we live in now,” he said. “I feel like this is a cool opportunity to provide respite and a few moments of serenity at the table.”
Restaurant Constance is at 2200 Thrift Road. For more information or to see the menu, click here.
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