Our Team

Keely has been in the hospitality industry for her entire working life. Her experience ranges from working in local restaurants, to corporate and boutique hotels and private country clubs. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University with a B.S. Degree in Hotel Management, Keely continued on to complete her certification with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Keely’s personal passions include activities such as hiking, biking, riding horses, and reading at eccentric coffee shops. She is originally from Washington State.

Chef Brian was raised in Los Angeles in a Creole household. His passion for cooking began at the ripe age of 6 while learning to cook traditional New Orleans dishes with his Grandmother and Mom. Brian didn’t pursue culinary arts initially but began his career working as an event coordinator in Hollywood after attending film school. His interest in cooking professionally was on the backburner until he joined the team at a Le Cordon Bleu restaurant. Once he earned his culinary degree, Chef Brian set out to travel and see where his cooking would take him. His career took him all over the world! His culinary resume spans from the demanding environment and diverse cuisine styles with a cruise line to working his way up to executive chef at a popular Marriott hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then a Marriott hotel in Austin, Texas among several other roles in numerous U.S. cities

Finally landing in Charlotte, Brian joined the team at Foxcroft because he was looking to move away from big corporations into a smaller restaurant. His role at Foxcroft has allowed him to find his voice and identity as a chef. He loves the creative freedom he has now and that he has the opportunity to touch each and every dish that leaves his kitchen to make sure his creations are exactly as they should be before they reach your table. One thing he really appreciates about his role at Foxcroft is his relationship with the staff and how he gets to pass along his values, cooking philosophy, and his culinary knowledge collected through the years.

Chef Brian’s goal is to create dishes that are familiar to guests but done in an unexpected way, with flavors and techniques not easily replicated at home - to make eating at Foxcroft a special occasion. He is passionate about plating and having his photogenic dishes wow you before you even take a bite. He is constantly studying food, and experimenting to find the flavor combinations that work to make cohesive dishes. It's a challenging job but he loves it!

After growing up in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania, Justin Solomon spent his formative years in the kitchens of the Pacific Northwest and the Low Country of South Carolina, under the tutelage of James Beard award-winning chefs. Justin’s philosophy is to leave every diner feeling as though they are fed in manner that conjures excitement, passion or a memory…connecting them with their meal. Because, as it’s been said “one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Mary-Kate (MK) has a background as the one-woman marketing department for diverse industries from textiles to pet care but has found a home in hospitality with Foxcroft Wine Co & Dot Dot Dot Cocktail Lounge. She works diligently behind the scenes for all locations and is quick to brag about her talented, knowledgeable, and friendly co-workers. Since 2019, she has played a central role in developing the Foxcroft brand and digital presence. MK enjoys all her fun and diverse marketing projects including all things creative, social media, graphic design, event marketing, community outreach and more - all while learning about the world of wine, cocktails, and top notch cuisine. She’s grateful for a career that feels more like a hobby and co-workers that feel more like friends. During her free time, MK can be found kayaking on Lake Norman, creating abstract gold leaf paintings, sipping wine on her front porch, and hanging out with Walter, her golden retriever and personality doppelgänger.

Amanda got her start in the restaurant industry as a pastry chef. After graduating from Johnson and Wales University and working in a kitchen she quickly learned that that was not the place for her. She spent the next 10 years managing restaurants and retail shops. Here she found her passion for wine and enjoys teaching others about the world of wine. On her off time she enjoys photography and going to hockey and football games. 

Shawn Paul is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and holds certification in Advanced Blind Tasting from the American Sommelier Society. A native of central Maine, Shawn studied Classics, Philosophy and French at Clark University in Worcester, MA and spent an academic year in Dijon, France. Shawn has more than 15 years of experience in Food & Beverage management, with nearly 10 as a professional sommelier and beverage director in New York City at Michelin starred restaurants. Prior to leaving New York for North Carolina, Shawn worked as an Associate Specialist in the wine department of the international auction house Christie's.

In North Carolina Shawn has worked as the Wine Buyer and Wine Room Manager for Dean & Deluca and later General Manager and Beverage Director at Corkbuzz by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec. With Foxcroft Wine Co. Shawn works as Wine Operations Director where he oversees purchasing, education and professional development. Shawn lives in Matthews, NC with his wife Heather and sons Oliver and Emmett.

An 8th generation Charlotte native, Conrad Hunter spent the better part of the 80s and 90s as a professional touring musician and recording studio owner. His serious love of wine began inn 1988 as a byproduct when helping a friend open Charlotte’s first open kitchen brasserie, The Artist’s Cafe. Growing disillusioned with the collapse of the music industry in the late 90s Hunter sold his studio and launched a new career in the wine business. His first Foxcroft Wine Co. opened in 2004 in the heart of Charlotte’s Foxcroft neighborhood. After 15 years, he’s still at it, leading the expansion of Foxcroft Wine Co. into multiple locations as well as it's sister business, the award-winning Dot Dot Dot, Charlotte’s classic cocktail lounge.