MEET THE CHEF: OLIVERO
- Apr 22
- 2 min read
Chef and Owner Sunny Gerhart of Olivero brings a deeply personal connection to the coastal city that shaped much of his early life. Having spent his high school and college years between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, his return to the area felt like a natural full circle—one that eventually led him to open Olivero at Castle and 3rd Street. After building St. Roch in Raleigh, Gerhart was drawn back to the coast to create something rooted in place, community, and a love for Downtown Wilmington.
What makes Olivero unique?
Our staff! My Co-Executive Chef, Lauren Krall Ivey, and I have been so fortunate to have a wonderful group of people working together at Olivero. It truly brings everything together: the service, the food, the atmosphere.
How would you describe the type of food you like to cook?
Simple, delicious, well seasoned. No fuss.
What motivates and inspires you as a chef?
Delicious food, moody and inspired restaurants, travel.
What might diners not know about you?
I lived on a sailboat at Seapath Marina in Wrightsville Beach before I started cooking. I waited tables at Boca Bay, worked at Lighthouse Beer and Wine, and cleaned boat bottoms with scuba gear, all in Wrightsville Beach almost 20 years ago.
Current favorite dish on the menu?
N’duja stuffed dates. They have been on the menu since day one. Spicy and sweet, grilly and salty. So good.
What’s your favorite local product, and how do you use it on the Olivero menu?
Ana Shellem’s hand-harvested mussels. Ana is a friend and a devoted fisherwoman, and she is also married to one of my oldest and best friends. Working on a boat in and around the waters of Wrightsville Beach seems like a dream come true, and I am sure it is, but it is also one of the most difficult and back-breaking jobs around. So much love and respect for Ana. We use them in so many ways, escabeche, in pasta, so many options.
Favorite foodie city?
New York and Paris, who can choose just one?
What’s your all-time best comfort food?
Anything potato, potato puree, pomme frites (French fries), so many options, all delicious. I am always amazed by what a little butter and salt can do to the potato.
Describe the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
I have been fortunate enough to have some incredible meals over the years, in some pretty amazing places, and with some incredibly amazing people. I count a few meals at St. Roch and Olivero among the best. Years of work, blood, sweat and tears with too many amazing people to count have allowed me to build a couple of the best restaurants around. Sitting in the bustling dining rooms of these two restaurants with my mom is among the best memories I can imagine. Something about all the special folks who have made them so wonderful over all these years.
3 Songs on your current playlist?
One important piece of advice you have for home cooks.
Use more salt!
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