“We’re not just housing people,” Mecklenburg County Jail hosts dinner to reduce stigma around inmates

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — For the first time in the county, local food enthusiasts ate dinner with inmates at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.

On Thursday, July 24, more than 30 members of Charlotte Foodies ate dinner with inmates in what’s being called the “Incarcerated Dinner.” Officials said the goal of the evening was to dismantle the stigma and humanize those in jail.

The foodies reportedly didn’t know they were dining with people who were incarcerated, as everyone was wearing a Charlotte Foodie shirt to create a shared space without bias or judgment.

“This wasn’t just a meal. It was a movement,” Dorian Johnson, MCSO Programs Director, said. “The idea was to create an experience where the person comes before the perception. By removing labels and sharing a table, we saw genuine connection, curiosity, and compassion. This is what rehabilitation begins to look like.”

The dinner featured a five-course meal prepared by Chef Erick Crawford, a formerly incarcerated culinary artist who now runs his own food business in Davidson. The menu included:

• Shrimp and pimento grits with beef sausage crumble and salsa verde
• Pickled deviled eggs with crispy turkey bacon and crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
• Hibachi ramen stir-fry
• Smoked prime rib brushed with pineapple soy glaze, served with mashed sweet potatoes
• State-cake with honeybun layers and tang citrus cream

“As someone in recovery, this experience hit home. Too often, people who’ve made mistakes are
written off, but this dinner challenged that narrative,” Chef Erick said. “I went from recovery to owning an award-winning food truck, and now a brick-and-mortar restaurant and catering business. There is a path forward, one built on hard work, faith, and community. The reactions on people’s faces said it all: joy, connection, dignity. That’s what this dinner delivered.”

Sheriff McFadden has been adamant about changing the culture within the detention center and reducing the jail’s recidivism rate. “This dinner represents what’s possible when we lead with vision, not fear,” Sheriff McFadden said. “I want Mecklenburg County to be a model for how detention centers can become places of healing, learning, and transformation. We’re not just housing people; we’re preparing them to return to the community stronger than when they arrived.”

Earlier this summer, in June, the Mecklenburg County Detention Center opened a music studio for inmates. Unfortunately, a video showed an inmate of the detention center, who was charged in connection with the death of a 29-year-old man, participating in the new music program.

The family of the victim was not aware the suspect would be in the video, and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office later apologized to the family.

The music program is part of a larger effort to provide voluntary, rehabilitative opportunities to inmates. Sheriff McFadden emphasized that these programs are not to determine guilt or innocence, but to offer support and structure for those willing to engage in change.

The sheriff’s office said plans are underway to host more dinners and other events designed to change public perception and “give residents the dignity they deserve on their path forward.”