About Us

Woman-Owned Business

Jennifer Jones Horton is owner, speaker, writer, front of the house, you name it. If it doesn't involve cooking she has her hands in it. She grew up in Gloucester, Massachusetts and has lived in Atlanta, California and now North Carolina. The  passion behind Sanctuary Bistro began for Jennifer at age 13. She became concerned about the cruelty and pollution of factory farming when a friend shared a PETA flyer. From there she started buying her own veggie burgers.  For a traditional “meat and potatoes”family this was considered "different" and "rebellious." As she continued learning, she slowly stopped eating chicken, eggs, and eventually seafood, out of compassion. It was hard NOT to change once she knew about the cruel treatment that is inflicted on animals. She still feels that if people would open their minds to understanding it they would not choose to hurt something. Her concerns are the effect the meat and dairy industry have on the planet and so Sanctuary Bistro is their solution for making change.

Executive Chef Barry Horton

Executive Chef Barry Horton is amazing in his culinary skills. Jennifer and Barry are a team at work and in life. He has been the Executive Chef at the Famous Ravens' restaurant in Mendocino Ca. He has been on television with view from the Bay and has had many published articles in Edible, He was also nominated by Veg NEWS 3 years in a row for best vegan restaurant. He always lent a helpful hand in the kitchen growing up. In high school, Barry enrolled in a semester cooking class unaware this would eventually be his life’s path.

In 2000, Barry began attending culinary courses at Johnson County Community College when he realized, “this is what I love to do.”  By 2002, taking things more seriously, Barry decided to take his skills to a French Culinary program.  After perusing his options, Barry chose the Le Cordon Bleu program at the Western Culinary Institute in which he graduated at the top of his class.

His desire to continue his education learning about an organic, sustainable, vegetarian lifestyle led to his internship at the Ravens’ Restaurant of the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, Ca where he quickly worked his way up to co-chef in 2005 and Head Chef in 2006 until October of 2009. During this time, he has learned that a chemical-free, locally grown, plant-based diet is optimal for a long, sound, healthy life, as well as, and most importantly, a compassionate life.

Family Business

They also are raising their two children vegan, Jayden and Adeline. They have been raised in the restaurant business since they were 1.5 and 4. Now, we want to do for the community what we've been doing for our family. The world is an imperfect place. Many of us feel the weight of responsibility but we can’t fix everything. So we do our small part whenever we can and hope that each small choice creates a ripple and together we can make true change with you.

Jennifer and Barry have co-created a cookbook: Sanctuary Bistro's Recipes for Everyday Living: An Easy and Loving Approach to Gluten-Free Veganism. You can get yours today.

Chef Barry has been creating delectable dishes for any and every palette. He was told once by a culinary instructor, “Never trust a skinny chef,” but this has proven to be false. Barry feels the instructor should have told him to always trust a healthful, conscientious, and meaningful chef. A vegan diet is the key to mental, emotional, and physical healing. His passion for his food and health is thus transferred to family and friends.

Small Business

Jennifer and Barry opened their first successful restaurant in Berkeley, Ca. They closed that after 5.5 years so that they could move closer to family. They are now jumping in to open their Charlotte restaurant.

When you support a local small business you are directly supporting that family behind the business and their employees. The money stays local as the workforce is local and all of their activities, yoga, ballet, soccer are all local as well. Let’s make sure we are supporting the small business of Charlotte as they keep the fabric of this community vibrant.

Mission-driven Business

Sanctuary Bistro is a family business that is driven by kindness, compassion, and community.  An environment created for your mind, body and spirit, the animals and the Earth. Sanctuary Bistro is a fine dining, vegan bistro that is healthy for the planet, environment and all living beings. Our bistro is a warm, natural, organic location to enjoy with loved ones, family, and friends.  We have a focus on giving back to the community through showcasing other small businesses and supporting local non-profits.

The idea behind Sanctuary is to spread kindness and compassion, to raise awareness through amazing food and service and provide a place for people to share and spread this philosophy.

STAFF