Two Michelin-recognized chefs are joining forces to open a new restaurant in Charlotte’s Lower South End, and they’ve given it an unusually personal name: Roe & Olivia’s, after their own daughters. Andres Kaifer of Customshop and Michael Beltran of Miami’s Ariete plan to open the restaurant in late 2026 at 3531 Dewitt Lane, the former home of Italian spot Giovanna.
The restaurant’s name comes from a coincidence the two chefs still talk about. According to the Charlotte Observer, Rachel Beltran gave birth to Roe seven days late, while Cristina Kaifer gave birth to Olivia the morning after her due date — and the two girls, Roe and Olivia, were born about six hours apart. Kaifer told the Observer that he and Beltran had long discussed working together and simply decided to move forward when the opportunity arose.
Beltran, whose Coconut Grove flagship Ariete earned its first Michelin star in 2022 and has held the honor annually through 2025, according to Wikipedia, also owns Ariete and Chug’s Diner in Miami, per the Observer’s reporting. Kaifer took over as executive chef and majority owner of Charlotte’s Customshop in 2022, updating a restaurant originally founded in 2007 by Trey Wilson, and later secured a recommendation in the Michelin Guide American South, according to Black Wednesday. He also co-owns Emmy Lou’s in Charlotte.
A Menu Rooted in Two Cities
Roe & Olivia’s will serve contemporary American food with Cuban and Spanish influences, built around seasonal ingredients, per the Observer’s reporting. Early dishes may include an empanada gallega and a lamb neck rotolo. Beltran said very delicious and well-executed food is the restaurant’s main goal, and he told the Observer the menu will frequently change based on seasonality, locality and creativity.
The two chefs grew up in Miami together, and their professional partnership goes back further than this project. They co-hosted a one-night, six-course collaborative dinner between Customshop and Ariete in 2025, building on a friendship that included appearing together on Beltran’s Pan Con Podcast in January 2023 and hosting guest chef dinners at Customshop and Miami’s The Gibson Room, according to footage posted on YouTube. Kaifer even held his wedding at Ariete, the Observer reports.
Designed to Feel Like Home
The restaurant will span 3,644 square feet with room for 120 diners, plus patio seating, and will offer both quick snacks and cocktails alongside longer dinner gatherings, according to the Observer. Kaifer said the goal is for the restaurant to feel like an extension of the chefs’ homes rather than a generic restaurant, and the pair have said they want Roe & Olivia’s to become a comfortable neighborhood gathering spot with a beverage program built around classic cocktails and approachable wines.
The timing follows a busy stretch for Kaifer in Charlotte. Customshop reopened this month in the Elizabeth neighborhood following a full dining room and kitchen renovation led by Kaifer and general contractor Fairwood Construction, with the remodel reconfiguring the bar, upgrading kitchen equipment, and expanding relationships with seasonal local purveyors. Kaifer also co-opened Emmy Lou’s Wine Bar in Dilworth in late 2025 and designed the launch menu for Comal Taco Co. at Optimist Hall that December, according to Axios Charlotte.
Landing in a Fast-Growing Corridor
Roe & Olivia’s will occupy the former Giovanna space in the Lower South End, near Yama LoSo and Supperclub South End. Giovanna had been known for its open kitchen and house-made pastas, according to AAA Trip Canvas. The site sits within LoSo Village, a corridor assembled in May 2021 when restaurateur Birdie Yang’s NC LoSo LLC bought three adjacent parcels totaling 27,720 square feet from developer Beacon Partners for $6 million, according to WSOC-TV, with Yang planning an additional $8 million investment to build a dining and entertainment hub anchored by concepts like Yama LoSo.
The broader Lower South End submarket has kept growing since then. Two office towers at The Station at LoSo near Scaleybark Light Rail Station sold this month for $91.75 million, Hoodline previously reported, part of the area’s shift from industrial warehouses to transit-oriented development that has drawn corporate headquarters like Skyla Credit Union. That momentum arrives alongside a jump in Charlotte’s national culinary profile: the Michelin Guide’s inaugural American South selection in late 2025 gave the city its first Michelin star at Counter, along with several recommendations including Customshop, under a three-year, $1.65 million annual regional contract, according to Axios. Local operators reported an immediate spike in out-of-town dinner reservations following that announcement.
Beltran was also named a 2026 James Beard semifinalist, per the Observer, and Ariete Hospitality Group has been eyeing further expansion beyond South Florida, including a ground-floor dining concept explored this year at the 42-story Bank of America Tower in Jacksonville. An exact opening date for Roe & Olivia’s, along with permitting progress on its planned patio, has not yet been announced.
