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Eric Ferguson

@salumi1

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Chef/Co owner L’Ostrica CLT

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We are honored to be a new selection this year for the Michelin Guide American South. L’Ostrica turns three next weekend, and this couldn’t be a better birthday present. We thank the @michelinguide for this special honor, and then we have a few more thank yous to share in this moment:

To our team, who brings a quietly ambitious vision to life every day, thank you for your consistency, your poise, and your passion. Sometimes I remember to stand still just long enough to admire the beautiful dance that happens in our little space every night.

To our guests who have supported us since day one and to those we have yet to welcome in, thank you for your support and curiosity. It is for you that we do this.

To our farmers and purveyors, whose care and dedication in the field make our work in the kitchen lighter, thank you for being an integral part of what we do.

To our industry friends with whom we shared a stage last night, the ones who know just how much work and heart and grit this whole thing takes, thank you for your efforts to make this world a little more beautiful, a little more bearable.

To the Nashville restaurants we visited this week, thank you for a hospitality that was friendly, warm, and human. It was good to sit on the other side of the table and be reminded of what genuine hospitality can do for a soul.

And to Eric: Thank you for being someone who gives a damn. Your energy and enthusiasm are simply unmatched; I remain in awe of your unwavering devotion to your craft and to keeping important culinary traditions alive. I’m just lucky to have a front row seat to bear witness to it.

With gratitude, Cat

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ONE LAST BITE 🍽️: We asked 3 local chefs to share the meals they’d choose to go out on

CAT CARTER AND ERIC FERGUSON: Owners, L’Ostrica
@lostrica_clt

“My fascination and appreciation for food began at a young age, sitting in the kitchen entranced by the smells and sounds coming from my mom over the stovetop. For my last meal, I’d cherish anything from her. Really, anything she cooks would do, but a hot bowl of doenjang-jjigae with a side of rice and her bean sprout salad takes the top spot right now.”—Cat Carter

“I would have to go classic Roast Chicken & Gravy with lots of fresh herbs and crispy chicken skin. For me, it’s the ultimate feel-good, comfort meal. I would gladly make it—I have spent the majority of my life in kitchens; it only feels right to end it in one too.”—Eric Ferguson

Full feature in our October Food issue 📖
✍️ Carroll Walton

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THE RIBEYE DECKLE. With a little Japanese-Korean kick. Just add fries. Or salad. Or both.

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✨UPDATE: SOLD OUT! Please join our waitlist via @resy and we’ll contact you if something opens up. THANK YOU.✨Join us Nov 1 for a very special collaboration with our friends from @kalayaphilly . Listed at no. 11 on North America’s 50 Best list and recognized as James Beard Foundation’s 2026 Outstanding Restaurant of the Year, this Southern Thai restaurant in Fishtown is helmed by Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon—North America’s Best Female Chef in 2025.

Drawing inspiration from her mother’s market stall in Trang, Thailand, Nok opened Kalaya in 2019 with just 32 seats. Word quickly spread about her bold flavors and heartfelt cooking, and the accolades followed soon after. Her cookbook, Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, was named among the best of 2024 by The New York Times. It sits on our coffee table at home for easy reference at all times.

She and Executive Chef William Flemming will join Chef Eric and team in our kitchen for one amazing night of collaboration here at L’Ostrica. Guests will enjoy six courses offered in a laid-back format that celebrates the family-style service common to both our Sunday Suppers and to Kalaya. Featured cocktails and wine, along with beer and other options will be available for purchase.

We could not be more excited to get to host these two and bring the flavors of Kalaya to CLT for one night. It’s a perfect gift to celebrate our third birthday. Tickets available via Resy.✨

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DUCK IS BACK. This dry-aged duck breast is smoked using burnt sugar in lieu of charcoal or wood, plus warming aromatics such as star anise and cinnamon. Delicious on its own, its companion is an unassuming tartlet that often surprises: the tartlet shell is made from crispy duck skin, and the local koginut squash purée is topped with duck floss and local Asian pear.

A second, optional companion is the wine pairing for this dish. Produced in limited quantities by rising star @guyot.raphaelle , her Ceres Pinot Noir is hard to get your hands on and hard to put down once you do.

Available (only) on the Tasting Menu.✨

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a few recents for L’Ostrica

// breakdown vid of this lighting setup & my editing currently making its way through the trial reels 🤝🤝

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Summer in Charlotte.

June 2026

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Y’all knew it was coming, but I quietly relaunched my website a few weeks ago!

It’s not perfect yet, but it is so much better than the old version, and it’s slowly shaping into exactly what I want it to be: a comprehensive, go-to resource for your next adventure.

What you’ll find on the new site:
🗺️ City Landing Pages: Dedicated spaces for different cities (with more on the way!) and my essential guides.
☕ Curated Reviews: Consider this your new lookup tool for hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops. (I even have my videos embedded within them for your convenience)
🌱 Lifestyle: Sections for wellness, events, and chef profiles
🍳 Recipes: Remember that cookbook I was working on? I realized will be a much better place to share them with you! (Plus - some of my not so healthy, but delicious favorites)

SO. To kick off the launch, let’s start with my list of Essential Charlotte Restaurants!

Swipe to see a few of my favorites in the Charlotte Area, and head to the link in my bio to see the full list of Essential Restaurants in Charlotte, NC and explore the full site!

#restaurantreview #travelguide #charlottenc #charlottesgotalot #bestrestaurants

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🚨Foodie 1st Friday🚨 June Lookback:

Where, on the first Friday of every month I recap the most memorable foods I had from the month before.

Still lingering, still occupying space in my brain rent-free…special to me because of a presentation or flavor but mostly because it was dang good.

June saw me bopping around NYC and then back for a long overdue visit to my alma mater 👩🏻‍🎓

A collection, not a ranking ➡️

📌 Mixology theatrics from @professor.baker, crispy fries, and chocolate cake made for the ultimate Knicks pre-game snack @barchimera

📌 2x2x2, 2 crispy-edge original oatmeal griddle cakes (no syrup nec. bc the batter is semi-sweet with molasses and brown sugar; the cinnamon/sea salt butter + powdered sugar take care of the rest), 2 house ground pork sausages, and 2 farm fresh over well eggs.

📌 Gujarati thali, Flavors of India
I love an eye-watering, spicy thali! This place has been open ~3 weeks. It’s attached to a grocery store along an unassuming strip of Chatham Road in Cary, where some of the most delish Indian and south Asian flavors can be found in NC.

📌 Ragu, crabbage, bluefin tuna, white rabbit ice cream
See my full recap of this meal on my page 👀

📌 Orange cream mousse at afternoon tea, Pibil-rubbed hamachi at dinner, The Fearrington House

See my full recap on my page 👀

📌 Chili fries, bacon and brisket taco, cherry hand pie 🤤 can these two do a weekly pop-up?

📌 The shrimp toast, crudo, and chocolate cake dessert were standout items from the new à la carte menu and brought me in 2x in a week

📌 From a Taiwanese dragonboat festival, these are toppings for a traditional shaved ice dessert

📌 Sesame chicken + spring roll, Hunam Chinese, Chapel Hill

📌 The Stanbury is a “cool” and “hip” restaurant. It’s unpretentious, kinda loud, and then there’s the menu, which is an amalgamation of mostly Asian influences, but steers safely clear of the F word (🤮Fusion).
Yet, it feels decidedly American, which is fabulous.
The chef does what he wants and it works.
The staff look like they’re having a good time and really like each. I heard that for most of them, this is their main and only gig.
It’s in an optimal neighborhood (Mo

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One of my favorite restaurants in Charlotte is always leveling up. 💯 @cat_yi_carter and @salumi1 recently reimagined the way you can dine at @lostrica_clt, and I am here for it!

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
👉 Enjoy a six-course Tasting Menu with 2-3 options for several of the courses (while the rest will be curated by the team.)
👉 Or choose the expanded à la carte menu, now available at the bar AND in the main dining room.
👉 Upgrade your evening by adding on items from the à la carte menu to your Tasting Menu experience.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY
👉 The Tasting Menu is required for each guest, but you can still enhance it with items from the à la carte menu.
👉 And that à la carte menu is still available at the bar and on the patio (weather-permitting.)

I tried several dishes from the refreshed à la carte menu anddd wow. 😍 No surprise, hit after hit! Need a few recs to start? You gotta get the Shrimp Toast and Tsukune Meatballs.

As always, you’ll find the Sandwich of the Day available at lunch Wednesday-Saturday, themed Sunday Suppers, and special tasting events throughout the year. Things are never boring at @lostrica_clt. 🥂 Thank you for having me, friends! #eatdrinkclt

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An extraordinary evening of world-class wine, exceptional cuisine, and giving back. 🍷✨

Following Charlotte Wine + Food Week, we hosted an exclusive Vintner Dinner at @lostrica_clt, sponsored by Chris & Kathy Cope and Flint & Julie McNaughton, featuring renowned winemaker Chris Carpenter - @fatcarp73 of @spirecollection alongside @toddbrentnall, Regional Manager of The Spire Collection.

Through stories from his own winemaking journey, Chris provided insight into the unique character of each vineyard.

Paired with a thoughtfully curated six-course menu by @salumi1 and @cat_yi_carter of L’Ostrica, guests enjoyed an unforgettable evening that concluded with a live auction raising $3,950 of our beneficiaries!

Proceeds benefited @bedsforkids, @digibridgeus, @families_forward_charlotte, and @wayfindersnc.

Thank you to everyone who made this special evening possible.

📸: @bannen.photo

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I’m digging this à la carte menu!! This month, @lostrica_clt introduced some new features and formats to their restaurant:

🍽️ On weekdays, an expanded à la carte menu available at the bar and, now, in the dining room.
🍽️ Option to add à la carte menu items to the Tasting Menu experience.
🍽️ A six-course Tasting Menu option, with two to three choices offered for several of the courses.

À la carte items I’m absolutely loving right now:
🦪 Roasted oysters with gochugaru and parmesan
butter
🍢 Tsukune meatballs grilled on the bichotan with house-tare sauce
🧆 Arancini stuffed with mozzarella and served with truffle aioli
🐇 Rabbit Agnolotti stuffed with Carolina rabbit and ricotta, and served with madeira butter, parmesan espuma, and pickled bunapi
🐓 Chicken Milanese topped with a local arugula salad with pickled ramps and a truffle vinaigrette
🐟 Fresh Catch of Carolina fish with Alubia Blanca beans, filetti di pomodoro, olives, and capers

#hosted

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