About

About Vana Journal

An independent, ad-free publication about Charlotte food: wood-fire cooking, Carolina ingredients, and the neighbourhoods where the city eats.

Golden sunlight falling through a quiet stand of pine trees — Vana is Sanskrit for “forest”, the idea behind this journal’s name.

What we publish

Neighbourhood guides, ingredient explainers and practical dining advice. We do not accept payment for coverage, run ads, use affiliate links or track readers.

The history of this address

This domain was previously the website of VANA, a wood-fired restaurant at 1440 S Tryon St in South End (about 2020–2023), created by Jayson Whiteside and Chef Michael Noll with Chef de Cuisine William Underwood and Mixologist Amanda Britton. The restaurant has closed. Vana Journal is not the restaurant and is not affiliated with its owners. We cannot take reservations, answer questions about past orders or events, or pass on job applications.

We kept the name because of what it means. Vana is Sanskrit for “forest”, a fitting word for a journal about cooking with wood. Read the full VANA history page.