The Best in Charlotte: Best in the Nest 2024
Main Dish: A menu of all the greats
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Six years in business. I guess we’re really doing this thing.
When Justin LaFrancois and I took a leap of faith in late 2018, announcing we would be launching a new alt-weekly by Charlotte’s 250th birthday in December of that year, there was no telling how long we might last. Hell, I spent the first three or four years of this passion project wondering if we would last through the next six months.
The fact that we are still here and actually stable enough for me to take confidence in the future of our business is a testament to how hungry this city is for good community-centered news, cultural coverage, and different takes on the happenings of the Queen City.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you there’s nothing going on in Charlotte, that only means they’re not looking.
This year has brought some rough patches for our city, with the tragic mass murder of four police officers and US Marshals in April; our state, which saw Hurricane Helene absolutely decimate landscapes, lives and businesses throughout the western North Carolina mountains; and the country, with the arrival of a second Trump administration placing us on the verge of becoming an oligarchic fascist state.
But still, our annual Best in the Nest is about looking back on the year that also saw a lot of great shit go down and a ton of people busting their ass to make sure our city continues to be a hub for culture, community and cuisine.
Months of work have gone into this issue, and I’ve spent the last week working into the early morning every night to ensure that it is the best issue we’ve put together in our six years of existence. Reading over it now before we send it off, I’m fully confident that we have succeeded in doing so.
Each year I make it a point in this introductory Editor’s Note to emphasize that what follows is not about gatekeeping. All takes are subjective and just because we name one thing the “Best” of any category doesn’t mean there aren’t a dozen others working in the same field, medium, or industry who are doing great things as well.
That’s why I think of this issue as more of a year-end guide to everything that we thought was awesome about 2024 as a team of journalists who make it our mission to spend all year seeking out such things.
The people, businesses, organizations and establishments named in the pages to come are worth your time and exploration. The hope is that, while doing so, you’ll run into any number of others doing similar work, because that’s how community builds.
As always, I must wrap this up by thanking my business partner, publisher Justin LaFrancois, and the great team behind us, without whom this issue — nor any other we’ve printed this year — would be possible.
Our staff and contributors have worked tirelessly to put together our most comprehensive Best in the Nest issue yet. I couldn’t be more thankful for their work.
Best in the Nest Contributors: Annie Keough, Dezanii Lewis, Aerin Spruill, Sam Spencer, Kayleigh Ruller, Hannah Goldman, Alex Holladay, Jeff Hahne, Karie Simmons, Matt Cosper, Jonathan Golian, Tyler Bunzey, and Larken Egleston.
Plus reporting from: Rayne Antrim, Perry Tannenbaum, Michaela Catoe, Candice Kelly, Pat Moran, Darrell Horwitz, Bo McMillan, Nellie Shortreed, Davis Cuffe, Dan Russell-Pinson and Arin Garcia McCormack.
And photos from: Jayme Woodell, Grant Baldwin, Taylor Banner, Ryan Allen, Rico Marcelo, Robert Delk, Dan Russell-Pinson, Jonathan Golian, Madison Leigh King, Angel Butler, Billy Collins, Teenie Harris, Matt Cosper, Perry Tannenbaum, Becky Schultz, Graham Morrison, Madison Leigh King, Remy Thurston, Effie Horvath, Alyssa Johnson, Danny Ruhland, Gregory Moore, Brittany Nailon, Mike Mazely, JW Haugh, Peter Taylor, Aerin Spruill, Mary Bird, Blake Pope, Toby Shearer, Juan Ossa, Morgan Robinson, Michael Maxwell, Malcolm Beamon, Ezequiel Antonio, Josh Faggart, Greg Willingham, William Struhs, Becky Schultz, Julius Boseman, Sydney Schertz, Melissa Taylor, Xavier Jimenez, and Jesse Fox Halen.
There are many more folks who have contributed to our publication and helped us out over the past year and I’m appreciative to each and every one of them. Here’s to a kick-ass 2025.
– Ryan Pitkin
Editor-in-chief, Queen City Nerve
