CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As many families fell on hard times during the pandemic, one Charlotte chef made it his mission to uplift and serve those in need. Last week, that kindness was returned to him and his restaurant.
What You Need To Know
- During the pandemic, families fell on hard times so Chef Andarrio Johnson stepped in to make sure they were fed
- The Carolina Panthers partnered with Lenovo to surprise the Cuzzo's Cuisine chef with a technology update
- Johnson says he's happy to put the community at the forefront
Cuzzo’s Cuisine chef, Andarrio Johnson says he started working at 13 years old in a watermelon field. He says the grind of working in the field and growing up poor made him want bigger things for his life. So, he started cooking at a young age with his mind set on becoming a chef.
Cuzzo’s Cuisine started out as a food truck that grew into a restaurant. It's now a community staple with celebrities like Jack Harlow stopping by when they’re in town.
But even with continued growth, Johnson always remembers where he came from and the community that supports his business.
“We was feeding the kids. When they was out during the pandemic, we fed them and still feeding them for free till this day. We also fed all the government workers who was working and not getting paid. And we was feeding them for free. We can't feed the whole world but we try to feed who we could feed,” Johnson said.
Lenovo and the Carolina Panthers decided to aid Johnson in helping the community through Lenovo’s Evolve Small campaign, which works to uplift small businesses who feed and fuel the community.
The Panthers partnered with the tech company to surprise Johnson with a technology upgrade for his restaurant.
“It brought a little tear to my eyes because no one ever gave me anything like that because everything I have, I had to work hard for,” Johnson said.
The chef says as a business owner in the community, it’s his responsibility to be for the community, and he encourages other businesses to do the same.