There’s a reason everyone at the party always gathers in the kitchen. It’s about more than just the food. It’s about community and connection. We invite you to pull up a chair and stay awhile around our wood-burning oven as we share our craft and our stories with you. It’s like one big dinner party—and you don’t even have to clean the dishes at the end of the night.
From the Hearth
Kitchen
If the gleaming bright-red heritage Berkel flywheel meat slicer on our countertop doesn’t say we’re serious about food, we don’t know what does. Watch us slice country ham and charcuterie to order as you peruse the chalkboard for our plates of the day. Our double-entry wood-fired oven is blazing from dawn ‘til dusk, stoked with different kinds of wood for subtle smokiness and maximum control over the cooking process, making us one of the best Charlotte restaurants in uptown. Feast your eyes on signature offerings like our slow-roasted whole lamb shoulder or Berkshire pork shank that we cook overnight—we’re in no rush. Or nourish your cravings with leafy greens, wholesome grains, and charcoal-grilled seafood and chops.
Bar
We’ve got an independent streak: We source our suds seasonally from dozens of local limited-production Charlotte breweries that brew less than 2 million barrels a year. Which of our 24 craft beers on tap will you try first? Each one’s precisely poured into the perfect glass for maximum enjoyment. Come cocktail time, art meets science during our daily bar ritual as we carefully concoct small-batch libations just a few liters at a time. Each premium drink is decanted into a canister, tapped, shaken, and garnished to order. Red, white, and bubbly are tapped in full or half pours so you can sample a few—now that’s the spirit.
Tim Groody, Artisan Chef
Chef Tim Groody joined the Charlotte Marriott City Center team to lead culinary innovation at Stoke in September 2019. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Groody has owned five restaurants and lead culinary teams in the Charlotte area for three decades. Chef Groody is known for being the first local chef to create relationships with local farmers, allowing him to use local produce in his restaurant at a time when restaurants did not buy local. His work lead to what is now widespread use of locally- and regionally-grown food by local chefs and restaurants.
Groody comes to Stoke from Fork, the restaurant he and his wife, Melanie, owned and operated in the Lake Norman area from 2013 to 2019. At Fork, the bulk of each day’s menu was brand new based on products he sourced daily from local farmers and purveyors. He brings that innovation and creativity to Stoke, offering micro-seasonal menu additions from the kitchen that serves as a test hub for Marriott Global.
Prior to Fork, Groody served as executive chef at Sonoma Bistro from 1999 to 2007, the first four-star awarded restaurant in the Charlotte area in a decade. He also served as Corporate Executive Chef of FS Food Group from 2011 to 2013, overseeing five concepts with seven total locations for more than two years, and also owned and lead the kitchen at Flatiron Kitchen and Taphouse in Davidson, NC.
Pleased to meet ya
TODD BRINKMAN
Director of Eat and Drink
Todd Brinkman uses his strong hospitality background from top hotels and resorts around the world to create remarkable dining experiences for guests of Stoke. He joined Stoke in 2018 with over 20 years experience in Food and Beverage. Todd got his start in restaurants at a very early age, in his father’s restaurant in coastal North Carolina. He used that background to start his career in food and beverage, developing his true love for fine dining when he saw the ability to create unique dining experiences for his guests. This began his journey into becoming a sommelier, constantly refining his palate and bringing new wines for guests to pair with meals. Before Stoke, Todd served as the Lead Sommelier for The Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, CA.
MARITZA BERGER
Restaurant Sales Activation Manager
Maritza Berger is originally from New England, and moved to Charlotte in 2016 from Boston, MA. She joined the Charlotte Marriott City Center team in 2018. Her passion is working with people. She has 10 years experience in a variety of sales and marketing roles within the service industry, from serving as Chief Operations Officer of a fashion design company to business development management for a national recruiting firm. She received her degree from The Florida State University in Business Marketing. As Charlotte Marriott City Center’s Restaurant Sales Activation Manager, she finds exclusive and unique ways to activate Stoke’s dining spaces, as well as culinary and beverage teams, for memorable events for groups, including corporate outings, wedding parties, and various celebrations.
Grab an Apron
If you’ve got the chops, we want to hear from you. Search careers at Marriott Careers – Charlotte Marriott City Center to get cookin’.