DINE + WINE - nibbles and bites
Chef David Burke is hands-on at G.O.A.T. Pizza in Cornelius, the latest addition to his eponymous restaurant group.
Who’s the
PIZZA
‘G.O.A.T.’?
Chef and entrepreneur opens a new concept in Cornelius When the two-time winner of the Daytona 500 and Huntersville resident Michael Waltrip noticed none of his memorabilia was displayed at G.O.A.T. Pizza in Cornelius, he brought back a race helmet and a framed photo of him in Victory Lane. These were added to the collection of signed and unsigned helmets and jerseys from athletes who represent the restaurant’s theme, “Greatest of All Time.” G.O.A.T. Pizza, a new concept within the Chef David Burke restaurant group, opened this spring featuring pizza, salads, smash burgers, a kid’s menu, sandwiches on Dukes Bread from Charlotte and gelato from Gnam Gnam in Greensboro. Menu items such as “Mayweather’s Meatballs,” “Super Bowl Salads” and “Field of Dreams 64
LAKE NORMAN CURRENTS | SEPTEMBER 2024
by Vanessa Infanzon photography courtesy Chef David Burke and Houston Ray
Veggie Sandwich” reference athletes, sporting events and sports movies. Burke, chef and owner of G.O.A.T. Pizza as well as Port City Club in Cornelius, calls it a family restaurant with a sports theme. “The food’s got whimsy and some sophistication,” Burke says, “It’s shareable, it’s Instagram-able and conversational.” Burke has big plans for the phrase, Greatest of All Time. He’s introducing a program that allows members of the community to be nominated as the G.O.A.T. of the week. “It could be a crossing guard, a schoolteacher, a coach, doctor or a nurse,” Burke says. “We put them on our flat screen, and they be-