Our Mission
Sparking joy and connection through the books, people, and stories that make food worth sharing.
We’re here to share the joy of food.
To celebrate the cookbooks, authors, stories, and ideas that inspire us—and create more opportunities for people to experience them together. Because the best things around food were never meant to be kept to yourself.
About the Shop
Special Sauce is Charlotte’s cookbook shop and culinary community: a thoughtfully curated destination for cookbooks that rock (and inspire!), intentional (and fun!) hosting gifts, and most importantly, a community built around FOOD!
You can expect author conversations and signings, local collaborations, potluck dinners, and much more as we bring the Special Sauce community to life.
Whether you’re an aspiring home cook, a seasoned chef, someone who loves to eat but hates to cook, or you’re just curious about all things culinary, we’ll help you find your “special sauce” in the kitchen and the joy in all the moments surrounding food!
About Kat
Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, I'm thrilled to bring the concept of a cookbook shop (with a Queen City twist!) "home" to YOU!
I spent 8 years in New York City, where a love of food exploration, farmers markets, chef-driven concepts, and cookbooks first took root.
From there, San Francisco is where that love found its home: my neighborhood cookbook shop and community in Noe Valley is, without a doubt, one of the things I miss most about California since relocating east in 2024.
Before living in San Francisco, I had no idea a shop focused on cookbooks was even "a thing," let alone a place where books themselves could build community through passion, programming, and people.
When I'm not thinking about food, reading about food, cooking food, or hunting down the best new restaurant in town, you can find me spending time with my husband and three kids or cuddling up with my most devoted kitchen sidekick — my bernedoodle (and first-born), Chef.
