Hello Uncle at Blue Door
Featuring Kikusui Sake Brewery
Charlotte Wine + Food Week invites you to step behind the Blue Door and into its private speakeasy for an extraordinary sake dinner. Enjoy a curated menu crafted by rising-star chef Michael Le, Chef & Owner of Hello Uncle, perfectly paired with sake from the renowned Kikusui Sake Brewery. Leading the dinner will be our very special guest joining all the way from Japan, Shunsuke Takasawa, President of Kikusui Sake Brewery along with Charlotte’s own Sara Guterbock, better known as “Sake Sara”, Japanese Beverage Specialist & Educator for NY Mutual Trading Co. Guests will also be treated to specialty sake cocktails by Blue Door’s award-wining mixologist, Mike Guzmán.
This unforgettable evening of sake, food, fun, and fundraising is held in support of four Charlotte-area children's charities - Beds for Kids, Digi-Bridge, Families Forward Charlotte, and Wayfinders. Collectively, these organizations serve more than 2,500 children, helping ensure access to stability, education, and opportunity - paving the way for brighter, more secure futures for these children and our community. Learn more here.
The dinner will also offer you an opportunity to give back by making a direct donation, purchasing raffle tickets for exciting prizes, and/or bidding in the Week's auctions.
ABOUT KIKUSUI
Kikusui is of the most famous craft breweries in Japan. They are located in Niigata, arguably the most celebrated sake producing prefecture, known for light, crisp, clean sakes produced from snowmelt. Niigata is one of the snowiest places in the world! Quality is of such importance to Kikusui, they utilize an optical sorter, like those used by the world’s most famous wineries, to quality check every grain of rice. Kikusui was the first brewery to introduce true NAMA, or wholly unpasteurized sake, to the masses, about 50 years ago. By choosing an innovative can, they were able to ensure the freshness of this product by protecting it from light.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM Reception | 6:45 PM Dinner
Location: Blue Door | 1508 S Mint St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Special Guests: Shunsuke Takasawa | President - KIKUSUI SAKE CO., LTD
Sara Guterbock, ISS, ASP, JSA Sake Diploma, SSI Official Lecturer, WSET Educator Sake & Wine, CS, CWE, DipWSET |
Educator with Sake School of America | National Educator & National Key Account Specialist for Mutual Trading Company
Michael Le | Chef & Owner - Hello Uncle
Mike Guzmán - Beverage Director & Operator - Blue Door
Tickets: $300
Gratuity is included in the ticket price and $85 of each ticket is tax-deductible. Must be 21+
Seating will be counter-style facing the kitchen.
Hosted by Charlotte Wine & Food Board Member Cat Carter.
MENU + SAKE
Dietary restrictions are unable to be accommodated for this experience.
- RECEPTION -
Welcome Cocktail by Blue Door featuring
Funaguchi Honjozo Nama Genshu | ORIGINAL GOLD CAN | Niigata
- FIRST COURSE -
Tomato tsukemono, chilled dashi, lemon balm
Kikusui Junmai Ginjo | CHRYSANTHEMUM MIST | Niigata
- SECOND COURSE -
Tuna crudo, ponzu, lime leaf oil, shaved leek
Kikusui Sakamai Junmai Daiginjo | BORN AGAIN | Niigata
- THIRD COURSE -
Amadai, dashi ankake, chive oil, charred long bean
Kikusui Sakamai Junmai Daiginjo Genshu | ETERNAL LIFE | Niigata
AND
Kikusui Kuramitsu Junmai Daiginjo | TASTE OF TRIUMPH | Niigata
- FOURTH COURSE -
Aged duck, mushroom soy, coriander curry, dino kale
Kikusui Funaguchi Ginjo Nama Genshu 1 Year Aged | RUBY CAN | Niigata
- FIFTH COURSE -
Ginger ice cream, shiso oil, candied mandarin powder
Cocktail by Blue Door featuring
Kikusui Perfect Snow Nigori | PERFECT SNOW | Niigata
CULINARY & BEVERAGE TALENT
MICHAEL LE | CHEF & OWNER - HELLO UNCLE
For some people, you're either born into the food or restaurant industry, or it's something that you discover you want to pursue over time. For Michael Le, it was a mix of both. Originally from Philly, Le grew up living above his family's restaurant and became familiar with its mechanics at an early age. Le's curiosity drove him to relocate around the country to explore working in different kitchens, which eventually pushed him toward something beyond that.
Hello Uncle, Le's Southeast Asian pop-up, was born with the intention of helping a close friend in need—but it turned out to be exactly what Le needed as well. It grew a community of individuals who looked forward to a menu that kept their palates fresh and excited. Hello Uncle is currently transitioning into a permanent location, called Uncle's at Burial Beer Co. in Plaza Midwood.
Le brings the comforting aspect of the food to the table in his dishes while highlighting unconventional Southeast Asian flavors that often don't get the attention they deserve.
SHUNSUKE TAKASAWA | PRESIDENT - KIKUSUI SAKE CO., LTD.
Shunsuke Takasawa is an Executive Officer of KIKUSUI SAKE CO., LTD., a sake brewery founded in 1881 in Niigata, Japan. He leads the company’s international business development and works to expand global appreciation of sake. A sixth-generation member of the founding family, he focuses on introducing the accessibility and diversity of sake to new audiences. Kikusui’s flagship products, Funaguchi and Kuramitsu, have each received two Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge. At the event, he will introduce the distinctive character of Niigata sake and share the enjoyment of sake with guests.
SARA GUTERBOCK | JAPANESE BEVERAGE SPECIALIST & EDUCATOR
Sara E. Guterbock, CBS, ISS, ASP, JSA Sake Diploma, CS, CWE, DipWSET is a Sake Educator with Sake School of America. She is also the National Educator & Key Account Specialist for Mutual Trading Company, the United States’ most prestigious importer of fine Craft Sake, Spirits & Beer from Japan.
Sara is a Certified Sommelier (CS) through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) through the Society of Wine Educators, and received her Diploma in Wine & Spirits (DipWSET) through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London, England, in 2012. In January of 2017, Sara became a limited number of Level 3 Sake Educators for the WSET, worldwide, and in 2019 she completed the Advanced Sake Professional (ASP) course, in Japan, with John Gauntner!
In 2014, Sara was among the first groups of people in the United States to be qualified as a Kikisake-Shi, or International Sake Sommelier (ISS) through Sake School of America & The Sake Service Institute of Japan. In 2018, she became one of the first 4 people in the USA to earn her Diploma in Sake from the Japan Sommelier Association (JSA). These qualifications have been particularly meaningful to Sara, as she spent time living in Japan as a high school student and grew up in a family that placed great emphasis on learning and experiencing the Japanese language and culture. Becoming proficient in Sake has united Sara’s passion for the beverage industry with her life-long love of Japan, its people, traditions, and cuisine.
In 2016, Sara began teaching the Certified Sake Advisor and International Sake Sommelier courses with Sake School of America. She now facilitates these certifications as well as the WSET Sake Qualifications & Japan Sommelier Association’s International Sake Diploma Course in the Southeastern United States. Sara devotes a tremendous amount of energy to introducing people to the complexities and beauties of Sake and its unmatched ability to pair with food. She has developed a proven system to improve distribution, market-share, sales and understanding of the Sake category for distributors, on & off-premise accounts, their staff & consumers alike. Since 2018, she has promoted these techniques with the Japan External Trade Organization, JETRO, all over the USA. Sara is hopeful her ongoing efforts will continue to spread awareness and interest for Sake in the USA & beyond!!
MIKE GUZMÁN | BEVERAGE DIRECTOR & OPERATOR - BLUE DOOR
Mike Guzman is an accomplished hospitality professional with over 14 years of bartending and leadership experience across major cities including Las Vegas, San Diego, Denver, and Charlotte. Known for his creativity, precision, and dedication to world-class service, Mike has opened and led programs at high-profile venues such as Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar and Vanderpump Cocktail Garden for Caesars Entertainment.
As the Bar Manager and Creative Director at Blue Door Cocktail Bar in Charlotte, Mike blends classic technique with innovative concepts, drawing inspiration from American cities and cultures to craft immersive cocktail experiences. His accolades include being named a 2024 Global Finalist in the Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge, one of the USBG Presents World Class Top 30 U.S. Bartenders in 2023, and a National Finalist in the Lucid Absinthe Cocktail Classique. He also holds certifications from BarSmarts, the WSET, and the Society of Wine Educators.
Mike is passionate about team development, thoughtful hospitality, and raising the bar for cocktail culture through education, sustainability, and storytelling.
THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR!
