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From Young Cardinal Cafe & Co. to Jeffrey Adams on Fourth and Twisted Pine, Chef Adam Andrews is the man behind some of Winston-Salem’s favorite establishments.
October 22, 2025
Getting Started
Adam got his start washing dishes at Town and Country Grille in King, NC, at 15 years old. Before long, he’d worked his way up to cook — a role he held throughout high school.
After graduating, he studied at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and then moved to Winston-Salem when a chef position became available at The Old Fourth Street Filling Station.
Restaurant Era
While still working at The Old Fourth Street Filling Station, Adam teamed up with Jeffrey Bassett to open Jeffrey Adams on Fourth in 2012. This was just the first of several establishments he would open over the next 12 years:
- The Trophy Room and Dogwood Hops and Crops – 2017
- Young Cardinal Cafe & Co. – 2020 (the winner of The Go-To’s Reader’s Choice: Best Breakfast/Brunch Restaurant)
- Twisted Pine – 2022
- Easy Tiger Beer Garden and The Mercantile Chophouse – 2024
Seven businesses in less than 15 years — and that’s not counting the catering business Adam started during the pandemic.
- “I would never have imagined having as many [restaurants] as I have now,” Adam said. “What kept me doing it? I get bored easily. I always have to be doing something.”
Q&A With Adam
Which restaurant is your favorite?
- “[The Mercantile Chophouse] because it’s new. [But also,] that was the first restaurant that was built from scratch.”
How involved are you in the businesses right now?
- “When I’m short-staffed, I have no other choice [but to work]. I’m focused more on catering right here in this moment. If nothing’s going on catering-wise, I will [still] be doing something. There’s always something to do.”
How would you describe the personalities of your restaurants?
- Jeffrey Adams – “the traditional one, the oldest”
- Young Cardinal – “the comfort place; it serves classics with a twist”
- Twisted Pine – “the fun one that always gets you into trouble”
- The Mercantile – “the one that left town and brought a piece of the city back home”
