Signature Sweets: N.C. restaurants featuring sweetpotatoes in February for Sweet Potato Month
February is Sweetpotato Month in North Carolina, and restaurants across the state are celebrating by offering sweetpotato dishes on their menus. It’s all part of the “Signature Sweets” promotion, sponsored by the N.C. SweetPotato Commission.
About 50 restaurants are participating in the promotion, which asks chefs to create a signature dish using N.C. sweetpotatoes. Dishes can be appetizers, entrees, sides or desserts.
“Signature Sweets” is a follow-up to the commission’s “Sippin’ Sweets” holiday promotion in December, when bartenders created cocktail recipes using sweet potatoes or sweetpotato products. The aim of both promotions is to highlight the versatility of sweetpotatoes, said Heather Barnes, a marketing specialist for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
“When most people think about preparing sweetpotatoes, they think about baking them,” Barnes said. “These promotions showcase the variety of dishes you can make using sweetpotatoes.”
North Carolina is the nation’s top producer of sweetpotatoes, accounting for nearly half the country’s crop. In 2014, N.C. farmers harvested almost 1.6 billion pounds of sweetpotatoes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Representing 450 growers across the state, the N.C. SweetPotato Commission aims to increase sweetpotato consumption through education, promotion and research.
See below for a list of participating restaurants. Stay tuned for featured recipes being posted after the promotion.
| Restaurant/Bar | Dish Name | Town |
| Little Hen | Apex | |
| Albemarle Inn Bed and Breakfast | Sweetpotato Waffles with Spiced Pecan Praline | Asheville |
| King James Public House | Sweetpotato Mustard Cured Heritage Pork Butt with Sweetpotato Hash, black-eyed peas relish and collards | Asheville |
| Strada | Sweetpotato Creme Brulee | Asheville |
| The Thunderbird at MG Road | Smoked & roasted NC sweetpotato salad | Asheville |
| Herons at Umstead | Sweetpotato Soup, White Chocolate, Duck Confit, Lingonberry, Toasted Coconut, Cashew | Cary |
| La Farm Bakery | Tourte aux pommes de terre (The French version of NC Sweetpotato Pie) | Cary |
| 300 East | Sweetpotato Ice Cream with Candied Cheshire Bacon and Housemade Marshmallow Fluff | Charlotte |
| Bonterra | Charlotte | |
| E2 emeril’s eatery | Heritage Farms double cut pork chop pomegranate molasses glaze – sweetpotato – chili hash – pecans | Charlotte |
| Vivace | Sweetpotato Pizza – Rosemary Crust, Caramelized Onion, Spicy Copa, Fontina & Brown Butter | Charlotte |
| Old Havana Sandwich Shop | Durham | |
| Oval Park Grille | Sweetpotato Panang with curry, grilled pineapple, blue crab, purple sweetpotato | Durham |
| Pie Pushers | Durham | |
| Valentino’s Food Truck & Catering | Sweeter than Nonna’s Gnocchi, Happy Potato Chic-Pig Hero AND Sweet Tater Zeppoles | Durham |
| Season’s | NC Sweetpotatoes and Duck | Flat Rock |
| Southern Smoke BBQ | Sweetpotato and Chorizo Soup | Garland |
| The Ice Storm | Sweet Tayta Shake | Goldsboro |
| Harvest Moon Grille | Lincolnton | |
| Carteret General Hospital | Morehead City | |
| Circa 81 | Sweetpotato Quesadilla | Morehead City |
| New Bern Golf and Country Club | Creamed North Carolina Sweetpotato Cheesecake | New Bern |
| Harper’s | NC Sweetpotato Cheesecake with Marshmallow Cream | Pineville |
| Bam Pow Chow | Sweetpotato Bisque | Raleigh |
| Champa Thai & Sushi | Raleigh | |
| CockADoodleMoo Truck | Ginger Thai NC Sweetpotato Bisque | Raleigh |
| Flights | Raleigh | |
| Gravy | NC Sweetpotato Ravioli with shallots, walnuts, asiago fresco, sage brown butter | Raleigh |
| Iced Cupcake | Sweetpotato Pecan Praline Cupcakes | Raleigh |
| Jimmy V’s Steak House & Tavern | Raleigh | |
| Jose and Sons | Raleigh | |
| Kimbap | Murasaki Sweetpotato Gratin | Raleigh |
| KocinA Food Truck | Empanadas de Camote (Sweetpotato Turnovers) | Raleigh |
| Mandolin | Brûléed French Toast Sandwich with NC Sweetpotato Butter and Bananas | Raleigh |
| Midtown Grille | Ricotta and NC Sweetpotato Panna Cotta with Sorghum, Creme Fraiche and Pecan Tuile | Raleigh |
| Quality Grocery | Raleigh | |
| Sassool Café and Market | Spicy Sweetpotato Salad aka “Battata Helwi” | Raleigh |
| The Fiction Kitchen | Sweetpotato Cake with Chipotle-Vanilla Buttercream (vegan) | Raleigh |
| Milton & Miles | Sweetpotato Chili | Rocky Mount |
| Sarge’s | Sweetpotato Black Bean Burger | Rolesville |
| North Carolina Justice Academy | Sweetpotato Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream AND Roasted Sweetpotatoes with Balsamic Glaze and Brown Sugar | Salemburg |
| Chef Warren’s | Southern Pines | |
| Amigosan Food Truck | Amigosan’s Sweet & Spicy Tater Tots | Wake Forest |
| Farm Table | Wake Forest | |
| Leli’s Diner | NC pasture raised pork loin with NC apples, goat cheese and cranberries with NC sweetpotato hash | Wake Forest |
| Cape Fear Country Club | Pork Two-Way
Seared Heritage Farms Pork Tenderloin with southern candied sweetpotatoes accompanied by Heritage Farms braised pork cheeks, sweetpotato gnocchi, arugula pesto, sauté brussel leaves with maple bacon lardons, sauced with a sage-infused pork jus |
Wilmington |
| New Town Bistro | Warm Roasted NC Sweetpotato Salad with chipotle vinaigrette and toasted pumpkin seeds | Winston Salem |
| Nobles Grille | Sweetpotato Rice Pudding | Winston-Salem |
| Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar | Heritage Farm Pork Shank atop Ragout of Bacon, Cabbage & NC Sweetpotato House Pepper Jelly | Winston-Salem |