Local
Special Sauce brings cookbooks, local chefs to Charlotte’s Optimist Hall
Charlotte native Kat Skeen will open Special Sauce, a 500-square-foot shop devoted to cookbooks, chef memoirs and culinary goods, at Optimist Hall on Nov. 9. The business will also feature local chefs through videos, gift boxes and events around the city.
A new bookstore focused on food and the people who make it is set to open at Optimist Hall in Charlotte on Nov. 9.
Special Sauce, founded by Charlotte native Kat Skeen, will occupy a 500-square-foot space at 1115 N. Brevard St. The shop plans to carry new and classic cookbooks, chef memoirs, specialty pantry items and kitchen-themed gifts. A grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 14.
Skeen intends for the store to showcase Charlotte’s culinary community, not just sell books. Beginning in November, her “Chef’s Shelf” Instagram video series will feature local chefs and other culinary voices sharing books that influenced them. The featured titles will also be available in a dedicated section of the shop.
On Nov. 13, Special Sauce and Charlotte gift company Bonnie + Bud plan to release a limited-edition gift box for $130. The box will include a cookbook selected by Skeen and accompanying items chosen by Bonnie + Bud. It will feature three North Carolina chefs, and its contents will be made or distributed in North Carolina, Skeen said. Her cookbook selections will also be available online at specialsauceclt.com ahead of the holiday season.
The business is planning additional events and offerings. Skeen will host a pop-up at Pasta & Provisions’ Dec. 5 market on Park Road. In 2027, Special Sauce plans to start Chef’s Table, a monthly cookbook club, and Sauce Society, a $200 annual subscription that includes four cookbooks in a subscriber’s chosen category and quarterly happy hours. More pop-ups highlighting chefs are also planned.
Skeen moved back to Charlotte about a year and a half ago after living in San Francisco and New York. Her interest in a food-focused bookstore grew during the pandemic, when she began cooking more at home and drew inspiration from Omnivore Books on Food, a culinary bookshop in the Bay Area.
She sees cookbooks as a way to preserve memories and make room for an offline experience in a world where recipes are readily available online. The store, she hopes, will give chefs and authors a dedicated place in Charlotte while creating a gathering point for people interested in food.
Special Sauce will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.