A friendly competition is brewing among some of Raleigh’s top chefs, but it’s all for a good cause. From now through the summer, a powerhouse line-up of chefs like Scott Crawford of Crawford & Son, Cheetie Kumar of Ajja, and Christopher Prieto of Prime BBQ will each get a shot at creating a specialty “taco of the month” in collaboration with new fast-casual spot Little Rey.
Each taco will be available for a month on the Little Rey menu.
“I always thought it would be fun to get creative with our chef friends in Raleigh,” says Ford Fry, chef and owner of Little Rey, tells INDY of the idea. “Some of these chefs have more fine dining spots, so it gives them a chance to be more playful while giving the guests another reason to come back in and try something else.”
While Fry is no stranger to the Triangle—his Tex-Mex concept Superica opened in Cary’s Fenton development in 2022—Little Rey is newer to the scene. The restaurant opened in December of last year in Raleigh’s new Iron Works development.
And while there won’t be a proclaimed taco champion, per se, all of the proceeds from each specialty taco sold will go to a local or regional charity of the chef’s choosing. So far, participating chefs have chosen nonprofits that work to meet hunger and service industry needs.
Scott Crawford kicked off the collaborative series March 1 with a taco benefiting Ben’s Friends. His octopus and salsa macha taco marries Little Rey’s Northern Mexican flavors with Southern Italian and Croatian flavors that Crawford works with at Brodeto, the restaurant he opened last year.
Earlier this week, I stopped by to check out the new taco in this series, which will be available through the end of March during all regular business hours. It’s got a major kick to it, so spice conscious folks beware, but the char and flavor on the octopus is great. It feels like something that should be an app at a fancy restaurant, not a taco for $6.75. Order two and one of the grapefruit margs and you’ll be a happy camper.
Crawford and chef Bhavin Chhatwani of Tamasha will be supporting Ben’s Friends with their taco sales, while Saif Rahman of soon-to-open restaurant Peregrine has chosen to donate to Now Serving, a nonprofit that connects restaurant and commercial kitchens with organizations working to meet community hunger needs.
Scott Crawford runs the Raleigh Chapter of Ben’s Friends, a support group for hospitality industry workers struggling with addiction. Crawford, who is sober, has been vocal about the need for healthier practices in the food and beverage scene around alcohol and substance use.
“Restaurants are truly magical, amazing places with amazing characters,” Crawford told the INDY in a 2021 story. “By protecting our people, we are protecting energy and magic.
Mickey Bakst, co-founder of Ben’s Friends, says that financial support helps the organization “lay the groundwork” for opening new chapters.
“These efforts not only expand our reach within the restaurant community, but they also help save lives,” Bakst says.
The collaboration will run through at least August, Fry tells the INDY. So far, the rest of the killer chef lineup includes Andrew Ullom of Union Special for May, Cheetie Kumar of Ajja for June, Christopher Prieto of Prime for July, and Bhavin Chhatwani of Tamasha for August.
Rahman’s taco is up next in April. He’ll be using a staple Indian spice blend called panch phoron made with cumin, fennel, fenugreek, onion, and black mustard seeds to make a flavorful braised beef taco with fried onions and coriander chutney.
Rahman hopes to sell 1000 tacos or more—setting a high bar for the other participating chefs—and says he jumped at the chance to participate.
“Every time there’s a community thing where it’s giving back, I feel like it’s my opportunity to do something good for my community,” he says. “I can’t change the world, but I can pay attention to my community and what’s happening.”
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