Executive Chef Rocco Whalen of Charlotte’s Fahrenheit has won the prestigious Springer Mountain Farms Celebrate the Chef Award. His new American regional cuisine with an Asian flair celebrates locally sourced ingredients in an imaginative way.

Springer Mountain Farms, known for its flavorful, humanely raised chicken without antibiotics, presents the Celebrate the Chef Award each quarter to one Charlotte-area chef who represents an upscale restaurant, provides top-notch service and features its chicken on the menu. The award is part of Springer Mountain Farms’ commitment to supporting chef-driven restaurants.

“I’ve always had a passion for food and love sharing that passion with others,” said Whalen. “The key to delicious, innovative dishes is using the best ingredients from local and regional producers, and that’s why we use Springer Mountain Farms chicken. Because it’s the freshest, juiciest chicken, we only need to add a few more ingredients to make our Smoked & BBQ’d Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Pizza an instant favorite.”

Whalen opened the original Fahrenheit at age 24 in Cleveland, Ohio, 13 years ago. Given its roaring, sustained success, he opened a sister restaurant in the Queen City in 2014. The restaurant overlooks the heart of Charlotte from the rooftop of a 21-story mixed-use high-rise and features fresh, locally sourced ingredients on its menu.

Whalen’s previous experience includes cooking alongside renowned chef Wolfgang Puck at his many west coast restaurants and serving as executive chef at Cleveland’s Blue Point Grill. He has expanded his brand to other endeavors, including his Cleveland-based Rosie & Rocco’s that honors his mother. Among other achievements, Whalen has been named a rising star by Restaurant Hospitality and was a 2002 James Beard rising star nominee. He starred on Food Network’s Fat Chef, which not only inspired him to lose weight and be healthier, but also resulted in lighter calorie options at Fahrenheit.

Whalen joins a select group of esteemed previous award recipients in Charlotte, including Chef Chris Coleman of The Asbury and Chef Jon Fortes of Mimosa Grill. Atlanta and Nashville-area chefs, including Chef Drew Van Leuvan of Seven Lamps, Chef Chip Ulbrich of South City Kitchen, Chef Linda Harrell of Cibo E Beve, Chef Ron Eyester of Rosebud, Chef Tony Patton of Whiskey Kitchen, Chef Edgar Pendley of Urban Grub and Chef Trey Cioccia of The Farm House, also have received the Celebrate the Chef Award.

Celebrate the Chef Award winners receive promotional assistance and a set of television appearances to showcase their restaurant, menu selections and talent. If you are interested in learning more about the award program and how to get involved, please contact Dale Faunce at dalefaunce@springermountainfarms.com or 706-778-5100.