Kevin Atkinson was named executive chef for Angeline’s and Merchant & Trade, a pair of Charlotte-based restaurants. Both concepts are owned by multiconcept operator Kimpton Restaurants.

Atkinson returns to his hometown of Charlotte from Chicago’s Sable Kitchen & Bar, where he took the helm in May 2019 and designed a menu heavy on seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

Atkinson’s Chicago experience also included culinary roles at the Wit Hotel, where he created menus for ROOF, the hotel’s acclaimed rooftop lounge and reconcepting State & Lake Chicago Tavern to focus on refined tavern food with locally sourced ingredients. He also added an in-house charcuterie curing program at Omni Chicago Hotel.