Mike Carter
Down North Pizza | Philadelphia
FEBRUARY 2024
Mike Carter comes from a culinary background. His mother’s family owned barbecue restaurants, and he often saw his relatives butchering meat and cooking around the barbecue pit. So when he was incarcerated at age 16, Carter survived by working in the kitchen. He was released three years later and got his first official kitchen job at a local catering company, learning how to cook in volume. After being released from a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, Carter decided to enroll in culinary school at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, popping up around the city in his free time. And after a final 27-month stint, Carter was ready to commit to kitchens full time. He cooked in a number of restaurants around Philadelphia; from Porta, where he learned to make Neapolitan-style pizzas, to joining the team at Vedge Restaurant Group. He went on to work at Bernie’s Restaurant & Bar in University City, while picking up shifts at Booker's and continuing to cater private events on the side.
In 2020, Carter accepted the executive chef position at Down North Pizza in North Philadelphia, drawn to the restaurant's mission to exclusively hire formerly incarcerated individuals. In addition to mentoring his team, Carter creates “Philly-Detroit-style” pan pizzas with his signature high-hydration dough and spicy, sweet, and smoky tomato sauce. He also keeps the community in mind when developing his menu, like subbing in beef and turkey products for pork to cater to the large Muslim population in the neighborhood. His community efforts also extend beyond the kitchen, helping out at the community garden and teaching culinary classes at the youth detention center. Carter continues to share his culinary perspective with Philadelphia through his catering company, Flavor Regulator, and with his forthcoming venture, Out West, a breakfast and lunch spot.
