Copper & Thyme founder Alicia Charolle bets big on local produce and small-scale hospitality.
Inside the career pivot, market tours, and personalized menus behind Ballantyne's boutique chef service
By Nell Thomas
Strolling Ballantyne
When Alicia Charolle quit finance, she didn't just trade spreadsheets for sauté pans—she rewrote the dinner script entirely. Now the founder of Copper & Thyme, a personal-chef studio headquartered in Ballantyne, Charolle serves Charlotte households with custom-prepared meals, private dinners, and market-to-menu cooking classes. Her operation is small by design, and every client starts with a question: "What does food mean to you?"
Turns out, that question's hard to dodge when your chef is in your kitchen, next to your fridge, chopping local squash while your cat stares her down.
From Compliance to Cumin
Charolle spent nearly two decades in financial services, a tenure she politely describes as "enough." A burnout-induced leave turned into culinary school in Boston, which led to a personal-chef certification and, eventually, the first iteration of Copper & Thyme. In September 2023, she moved to Charlotte to be closer to family. Her husband Dennis, and their two cats, Cookie and George, made the trip too.
"When I left finance, I didn't want another hustle. I wanted something that felt like care," she said. "I cook in people's homes, not because it's scalable—but because it's personal."
What's On the Menu? You Tell Her.
Copper & Thyme's entire model hinges on customization. Clients fill out a detailed food questionnaire before Charolle even preheats a pan. Preferences, allergies, family quirks—everything goes into the planning. Vegan but hates mushrooms? Keto but addicted to Thai food? Charolle adjusts, adapts, and occasionally, gently negotiates.
One client's family hadn't eaten the same meal together in years—vegan daughter, paleo son, lactose-intolerant mom, carnivore dad. "We found the overlap," Charolle said. "And it wasn't just rice."
She shops farmers markets religiously, tailoring menus based on the season. On September 13, she'll host a chef-led tour of the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. (Sign-up link: copperandthyme.co/farmers-market-tour).
"No Restaurant Can Compete With This."
Charolle is betting that what today's time-strapped families want isn't another restaurant reservation—it's presence. Her weekly and biweekly meal prep services deliver that, plus leftovers.
Also on the menu: private in-home dinners (from fancy brunches to cocktail-heavy soirées) and cooking classes, either group or one-on-one. "Passport-level flavor, no plane ticket required," she said, not-so-subtly winking at the global cuisines she teaches.
Her upcoming demo at the Cotswold Farmers Market on August 9 will feature seasonal ingredients and free samples. Another follows September 27. No ticket required. Curiosity welcome.
Local Flavor, National Shift
Charolle isn't alone. Former corporate pros are starting to swap W2s for chef coats, massage tables, and infrared saunas.
Over at Perspire Sauna Studio Ballantyne, franchise owners Demetrius Jackson and Paul left tech careers to open an infrared therapy center designed for recovery, calm, and SNØ showers. (Yes, that's 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and yes, you should probably try it.)
And just a few doors down, Einstein Bros. Bagels in Ballantyne is doing more than slinging coffee. They've become the unofficial meeting point for Charlotte's freelancers, parents, and infrared-sweat survivors. Credit store manager Phillip Rice and his "cheddar-bacon-honey-almond-shmear" diplomacy.
Don't Call It a Side Hustle
"This isn't a hobby," Charolle said. "It's hospitality—deliberate, thoughtful, earned."
For now, she's cooking three to five days a week. Booking is selective. "I turn down clients who want fast volume. I'm not a caterer. I'm a chef."
And if you need more proof? She knows which farmer sells the best radicchio on Wednesdays.
Want In?
✅ Book a complimentary consult at copperandthyme.co
📍 Follow Alicia at @copper_and_thyme
🛍 Reserve a spot on the farmers-market tour
🎁 Gift a cooking class to the stressed-out friend still trying to boil rice in 2025
About the Author
Nell Thomas writes for Strolling Ballantyne and The Charlotte Mercury, though most of her best thinking happens halfway through an iced latte from Einstein Bros. Bagels Ballantyne. You'll find her lurking near the 13736 Conlan Circle location most mornings, judging herself for ordering both the cinnamon sugar bagel and the protein panini. She lives in South Charlotte and swears she goes to yoga "eventually."
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Creative Commons License
© 2025 Strolling Ballantyne / The Charlotte Mercury
This article, "She Left Wall Street for Your Kitchen," by Nell Thomas is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
"She Left Wall Street for Your Kitchen"
by Nell Thomas, Strolling Ballantyne (CC BY-ND 4.0)