Karalee Nielsen Fallert

Founding Partner and CEO, All Good Indusries

Co-Owner: Taco Boy(s), The Royal American, Park & Grove, The Bounty Bar, The Green Hearth Project, and Montessori Learning Collective

Known as one of the most prolific and progressive restaurateurs in Charleston, SC, Karalee Fallert has been the driving force behind many of the city’s most popular restaurants for more than a decade, as well as a leading advocate for community projects and women-led initiatives.

Originally from California, Karalee’s culinary education began at Utah Valley University in 1996 where she studied culinary arts and visual merchandising. Having worked in restaurants since she was a teenager, she missed being in the field and decided to head east to pursue her restaurant business dreams. She knew she’d found the right coast when she crossed the bridge to Charleston in 2000.

Karalee first worked as a server in several renowned Charleston restaurants then eventually opened the popular tapas bar, Raval, on upper King Street in 2005. She continued with several more establishments throughout the Charleston area: Taco Boy/Folly Beach in 2006; Monza Pizzeria in 2007; Closed for Business in 2009; Taco Boy/Downtown in 2009; The Royal American in 2011; The Park Cafe in 2014; Wiki Wiki Sandbar in 2018, and Taco Boy/Summerville in 2019.

In addition to co-owning and operating her restaurants, Karalee is a passionate advocate of local community projects. She co-founded The Green Heart Project in 2009 which connects students with fresh produce by educating them about the nutritional benefits of eating healthy and the joy that comes from growing their own food. What began as one garden project has since expanded to seven schools in the Charleston area. In addition, Green Heart recently created the Urban Farm at Enston Home on the Charleston peninsula. The farm’s programs will ultimately increase the Green Heart Project’s reach to 2,200 students as well as increase Green Heart Project’s total fruit and vegetable production capacity from 2,000 lbs per year, to 5,000 lbs per year. The food that is grown will be donated to schools and sold at affordable prices to residents and neighbors.

As a single mom to her young son Harley, Karalee quickly learned about the daily pressures that all working moms face. Realizing that many moms who work at her restaurants felt these same pressures, she founded the Montessori Learning Collective in North Charleston in 2018 to enable her son, as well as her employees’ children a viable option for enriched education.

Karalee was awarded the Historic Charleston Foundation’s IMPACT award in 2014 which acknowledged her as a local champion and pioneer of revitalizing Charleston neighborhoods. She was named one of Charlie magazine’s 50 Most Progressive People in 2015, and the Charleston Regional Business Journal named her one of the top 40 Under 40 people the same year. Southern Living magazine named Karalee one the South’s Most Beautiful Women in 2016 for her contributions to the Green Heart Project and in 2020, Karalee was awarded the prestigious Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award for her contributions to the Charleston culinary community.

Karalee is proud to serve as a board member of the Charleston Wine and Food Festival, as well as regularly participate in FAB, an annual conference held in Charleston that plans educational and inspirational workshops created by women, for women, in the hospitality industry.