Looking back on this project called the CPFoodBlog, we never could have imagined the incredible journey to see Carowinds become a leader in the food and beverage space among all Cedar Fair parks. All the parks have really blossomed and gone through big changes from the days of only serving fried fair food, but one of the major parks to break out was Carowinds.
In the fall of 2014, Executive Chef Kris Siuta took the helm and led the park into a new dynasty. Spurred by great reinforcement from park executives, cutting edge kitchens, and fresh, local ingredients, Chef Kris totally transformed the food and beverage scene, marrying the bountiful cuisines of both North and South Carolina.
From every day menu items that you could only find on the dining plan at Carowinds, to the incredible investment into specialty food events that highlighted a large assortment of festive eats, Chef Kris always brought his A-game and lead a dynamic team that was the gold standard of Cedar Fair parks.
Chef Kris was also an incredible personal friend, and always went out of his way to help or discuss little details that went into making his cuisine so special.
After an incredible run at Carowinds, in September 2019 we received the dreaded message that it was time for Chef Kris to move onto other projects outside of Cedar Fair. With heavy hearts we said our goodbyes and were extremely thankful for the charismatic relationship we had built with such a talented chef.
Chef Kris had created the foundation and built the castle for an incredible food and beverage team with endless possibility into the future. So where does the park stand today?
Carowinds Selects New Executive Chef
Carowinds is upping its food game once again, welcoming executive chef Mitch Weaver. Weaver brings a wealth of experience to Carowinds, coming from the world-renowned Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA, where he served as executive chef. A graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Arizona, Weaver started his career at hotels including the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carleton and St. Regis. He served as chef de cuisine at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles and for the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field in Florida, and helped Hyatt International design restaurants with menus that match local cuisines, all natural segues to overseeing the high-quality, large-scale food service at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Weaver succeeds Kris Siuta in the role, who joined Carowinds in 2014 and elevated its menu to include such delectables as house-smoked meats, original recipe barbecue sauce and shrimp po’ boys. A big advocate of embracing regional cuisine, Weaver looks forward to adding to Carowinds’ already strong Southern menu based on Carolina favorites. His tenure at Knott’s Berry Farm sparked a love for taking theme park food beyond the expected.
“My culinary approach is always to match menus to the local market,” Weaver said. “I’m spending time exploring the Charlotte food scene, understanding Carolinas food culture and thinking about how I’ll bring more of that to Carowinds. I love to get creative, but delivering great-tasting food is job number one. I want to see that smile when people taste my food.”
Weaver recently relocated to the Charlotte area with his wife and two teenage boys. He’s an avid outdoorsmen who loves to surf. When he can’t make the hours-long drive to the ocean to enjoy his favorite sport he plans to sharpen his golf game.
We are really excited to see where Chef Weaver can take Carowinds into the future, and look forward to hearing more of his vision once the 2020 season opens.
* If you liked this post, join other readers who have signed up to for our free Newsletter…because then you will never miss another update!
