by Ebony L. Morman
By the time Maria Gonzalez arrived in Charlotte last August, she had already experienced quite the culinary journey. Classically trained, shaped by nearly three decades in hospitality and sharpened by Houston’s melting pot of flavors, Chef Gonzalez isn’t just bringing a refined technique to Mizu — she’s bringing heart.
The Houston native was drawn to cooking early, mesmerized by her grandmother feeding a household of 11 with intuition rather than recipes.
“She never used measuring cups,” Gonzalez says. “She just went by feeling. I’m all about that life now — old-school cooking.”
Her formal path began at the Art Institute of Houston; a chance connection led her to help open an Asian-fusion restaurant downtown, igniting a lifelong passion for multicultural flavors. From there, she entered the fine-dining world at Aries, where she worked under a Food & Wine top-10 best new chef, and later became chef at the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa’s Manor House, a fine-dining restaurant in a former residence of President George H.W. Bush.
Gonzalez’s culinary point of view continued to grow through 14 years with restaurateur Benjy Levit, where she helped launch eight concepts. Her mentors and teammates were as diverse as the cuisines: Asian sous chefs, Louisiana transplants, a Japanese colleague who deepened her appreciation for technique.
Ready for change and originally eyeing Nashville, she shifted gears after connecting with Indigo Road Hospitality Group and was introduced to Mizu, the Asian-inspired seafood restaurant atop the Hyatt Centric in SouthPark.
Katsu Udon
“They told me the menu was up to me,” she says. “That was all I needed to hear.”
Now executive chef at Mizu, Gonzalez is shaping the menu with her signature blend of playfulness, global influence and soul-warming satisfaction.
“I base everything on the weather,” she says. “If it’s cold, I want hearty, soulful stews, Korean flavors that warm you. If it’s hot, I want something light and bright. I think about what I would want to eat if I were coming in.”
That approach has already spawned dishes like her Lamb and Dumplings (braised Korean lamb shank with chewy “noodles”) inspired by Southern chicken and dumplings.
“It’s completely not chicken and dumplings, but it’s a nice play on it and it warms your soul,” she says.
Gonzalez also introduced shareable dishes like Taki Fries, blending Japanese street-food flavors — eel sauce, bonito flakes — with black truffle aioli and the familiarity of crispy fries.
“And you can eat them with chopsticks,” she says. There’s also an Umami Burger made with Brasstown pasture-raised beef and house-made buns; Katsu Udon with chicken, farm egg and shiitakes; and dishes made from Gonzalez’s Japanese milk bread. The new menu items complement Mizu mainstays like pork belly buns, maki rolls and a robata-grilled sea bass.
Though she’s still getting to know Charlotte’s palate, she’s testing new menu items through specials, staff insights and conversations with guests.
“When I go out to tables and start talking to people, I ask, ‘Do you trust me?’” Gonzalez says. “That’s where it starts.” Then there are these moments when she’s reminded of her motivation. They happen during the pause.
“When I see a table in conversation and the food arrives, they’re still talking and eating,” she says. “But then, when they take that first couple of bites, they stop talking. And they get that look like, ‘What is this? Oh my God.’ That right there brings me back every day.” SP
