Like any creative team, such as songwriters, playwrights, or designers, Mark Grohman and Trevor Dye share common commitments when it comes to food — make it fresh and keep it local.
Grohman and Dye, both classically trained chefs, are the co-owners of Meridian Restaurant, just south of downtown. The restaurant’s menu fuses Mediterranean and local cuisine, and is inspired by an Old-World cooking philosophy that revolves around seasonal products. This focus marks the resurgence of what is called the slow-food style, which takes no shortcuts and uses no processed ingredients.

Twice a week, Grohman and Dye trek to the local farmers market to scour the stands for fresh, seasonal ingredients. “We build our menu around what we buy out there,” Grohman says.
He places an emphasis on using local products rather than organic, although the two often overlap. “We do as much organic as possible, but that term has been diluted. We do local fish and produce, which nine out of 10 times is organic.”

Meridian relies on a local fish source that provides 90 percent of its seafood from North Carolina waters. The local farms that provide meat and produce are listed on the menu, so diners know exactly where their dinners came from.

Using local products has always been a priority for Dye and Grohman, though they come from different culinary beginnings. Dye grew up in Lexington, hunting and fishing with his grandfather at an early age, and learning how to field dress his game. After working in the barbecue industry, where he “liked the fire and the meat,” he decided he “wanted to do something that couldn’t be mass-produced.”

As Dye roamed the Lexington fields and streams, Grohman was living with his family in Germany, where he experienced his first farmers market. That was a turning point, he says. He learned Italian cooking from his mother, and later, cooked “for beer money” while in college. He thought about trying to become a commercial pilot, but reconsidered after the 9/11 attacks, deciding to cook for a career instead.

He landed at Noble’s Grille in High Point around 2002. That’s where he met Dye, then a co-worker of his. The men quickly discovered they shared the same hands-on work ethic and passion for freshness, leading to the opening of Meridian in February 2007.

As you can imagine, hands-on preparation is vital at Meridian. The restaurant’s kitchen effectively functions as a bakery and butcher shop. “We butcher everything in-house. We take whole products and break them down. Then we rebuild them on the plate,” Grohman says. Meat items made in-house include sausage, pancetta, and prosciutto. The restaurant also makes its own breads, stocks, sauces, sorbet, pasta, “and even butter, when we ran out once,” Grohman says, laughing.

The creative touch comes from knowing how to effectively season the basics. “It’s all about tasting things and seasoning things individually. Each product is personalized.”

While the terms “local” and “organic” may sound fancy to some, the pair emphasizes that Meridian is upscale, yet casual and friendly, and features an open kitchen so guests can see their food being prepared.

Meridian also brings diners together by offering cooking demonstrations the third Sunday of each a month (except July and August). They cost $25 for an hour and a half, and teach skills such as how to roll asparagus and prosciutto.

“Some things we teach look complicated, but they’re not. It’s a technique,” he says. Or, you might learn what to do with a whole fish or chicken, an intimidating task for many home cooks.
Meridian also offers wine dinners every month for $55 per person, including a five-course dinner and wine available for purchase. 

Tireless trekking and long hours pay off when Grohman and Dye observe their diners from the restaurant’s big, exposed kitchen. “When you put food down in front of someone and watch them take a bite and melt into their chair, that’s the instant gratification that lets us know we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” Grohman says. “[We’re] providing the service of making people happy.”

Meridian Restaurant is at 411 S. Marshall St. For more information, and to view the current menu, go to meridianws.com.