“A Soul Food Missile” — Guy Discovers the Soul Roll at Mert’s Heart & Soul
When Guy Fieri rolled into Charlotte, North Carolina, he knew exactly what he was after. As he put it: “When you come to Charlotte, North Carolina, you got to try some low country.” And Mert’s Heart & Soul, the downtown gem run by chef and owner James Bizzell since 1998, delivered in a way that had Guy reaching for NASA comparisons.
The Soul Roll: Everything Southern in One Bite
The standout dish at Mert’s isn’t your typical Southern plate — it’s a deep-fried flavor bomb called the soul roll. Chef James starts by building the components separately: collard greens cooked for an hour with garlic, olive oil, onions, adobo, vinegar, and water. The fried chicken gets a simple treatment — adobo seasoning and regular all-purpose flour before hitting the fryer…