Chef Tyler Takeover

Mar 5, 2025 5 pm - Mar 5, 2025 8 pm | Lenoir Dining Hall

Come see Chef Tyler at Lenoir Dining Hall from 5:00pm-8:00 pm. Chef Tyler will be serving Cajun Jambalaya that includes chicken, shrimp, bacon, rice, and vegetables!

Chef Tyler was born and raised just down the road in Cary, North Carolina. He grew up in a home where food was the heartbeat of his family. With parents hailing from New Orleans and East Texas, every meal was a conversation, every dish a story, and every bite a lesson in flavor. Their passion for food inevitably drove him to immerse himself in the food industry.

His journey took him to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he earned both an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree, sharpening his skills before hitting the road to cook alongside some of the best in the industry.
From New York to New Orleans, Atlanta and back home to the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham), Chef Tyler has gathered flavors, techniques, and experiences that have shaped his own culinary style—what he likes to call “high-end rustic comfort food”. It’s about taking familiar, soulful dishes and elevating them with technique, creativity, and a whole lot of heart.

Through it all, the thing he is most proud of isn’t a dish or a title—it’s staying humble; learning, teaching, and growing as each day comes. Great food is meant to be shared, and we are just grateful to be at the table.

Founded in 1962 by Alvin Joyce, Joyce Farms remains a proud, family-owned business. Today, Alvin’s son Ron, along with his grandsons Ryan and Stuart, continue the legacy. Their headquarters and USDA-inspected poultry processing facility are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with partner farms across the Carolinas and Georgia.

The Ivey family has spent the last 40 years perfecting their pork in Seven Springs, NC. They pride themselves on the selective breeding, traceability, and good treatment of their hogs. Their
pork is high in oleic acid and marbling. With no added flavorings or preservatives, they let the quality of their products bring out the taste.

Located 164 miles from UNC’s campus, on Harker’s Island, Eddie and Alison Willis run Mr. Big –a family owned and operated small business selling fresh shrimp and other seafoods.

Tidewater Grain Company is a sustainable rice farm located in Oriental, NC. Tommy Wheeler and Al Spruill founded the operation in 2019. They sell varieties of heirloom Carolina Gold Rice – a product that originated in this region about 4000 years ago