Scoop: Chef Greg Collier partners with Weathered Souls Brewing

What’s happening: Collier will work alongside Marcus Baskerville, the head brewer and co-founder of Weathered Souls, to create a taproom menu that is “anything but typical,” according to Collier.

Why it matters: Both entrepreneurs are focused on uplifting and highlighting Black excellence.

• “We wanted to find a person to run our kitchen that fit within the mold of who we are, with our beer, and what we do,” Baskerville tells Axios.

Context: Baskerville is the founder of the Black is Beautiful initiative that swept the country in 2020. And Collier, along with his wife and business partner Subrina Collier, have a combined mission centered on nurturing and promoting Black culinary creatives.

What to expect: Anything but the basic burgers and pretzels you’re used to seeing on brewery menus. “We’ll be focusing on creating a menu that pairs with beer, rather than on one that soaks up beer,” Collier said in a release. 

Zoom out: Collier has had a busy year, and it’s only June, as Axios’ Emma Way pointed out recently.

• He just became the executive chef of the Amex Centurion Lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
• Earlier this year, he and Subrina announced they’re opening four new businesses in Camp North End through their BayHaven restaurant group.
• And in three days he will learn if he’s the first Charlotte chef to win a coveted James Beard Award. 

“Originally, he was so busy, he had said no,” Baskerville admits. He tells me he flew to Charlotte to convince Collier to reconsider.

What’s next: Baskerville tells me Weathered Souls will open in late October or early November.