Its been an exciting month for NCRLA Chef Showdown culinary semifinalists from across the state. 18 chefs creating savory plates and 8 pastry chefs from across the state of North Carolina competing in one of two rounds of semifinal competition. The first round took place in Charlotte on July 15 and the second in Raleigh on July 29! The top scoring 20 chefs and pastry chefs will now advance as finalists to compete for top titles at the August 26 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale. It is my pleasure to announce the list of Culinary NCRLA Chef Showdown Finalists for the 2024 season.
2024 Chef Showdown Finalists
I’ll be circling back later this week in a follow up post with photos and all the culinary competition details, but for now here is a list of all of the chefs and pastry chefs who will be appearing at the Aug 26 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale.
Meet the chef finalists:
- Chef Michael Beers River Run Country Club in Davidson
- Chef Tucker Bell Vintage House Restaurant In Hickory
- Chef Richard Carter Catering Works / North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh
- Chef Nicholas Chavez – private chef at Crudo in Wrightsville Beach
- Chef Matthew Deering Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte
- Chef Lemar Farrington Amalieä Dining & Events in Raleigh and Durham
- Chef Keith Henning Black Powder Smokehouse in Jamestown and Asheboro
- Chef Mauricio Huarcaya Gustu Peruano in Wilmington
- Chef Olajuwon Mason Aramark in Elizabeth City
- Chef Bobby McFarland Wye Hill Hospitality in Raleigh
- Chef Theresa Norris M Restaurants/ M Pocha in Durham
- Chef Andres Prussing Marriott City Center Charlotte
- Chef Jordan Rainbolt Native Root Winston-Salem
- Chef Myles Scaglione Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte
- Chef Terri Terrell Director of Events for The Utopian Seed Project in Asheville
Meet the pastry chef finalists:
- Pastry Chef Savanna Brodar The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst
- Pastry Chef Gerald Hawkins Jr. . The Beach Shop & Grill in Topsail Beach & Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington
- Pastry Chef Helena Larson Oak Raleigh & O-ku in Raleigh, Colletta in Cary
- Pastry Chef Jill Wasilewski Ivory Road in Arden
- Pastry Chef Mary Jayne Wilson Thoughtful Baking Co. in Charlotte
Tickets to the NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale
NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale goers will spend the evening sipping and sampling, eating and drinking locally at the ambulatory event, enjoying savory dishes and desserts from 15 chefs and 5 pastry chefs and cocktails and mocktails from 6 mixologists, each representing a NC distillery.
In addition, each of the plates from chefs and pastry chefs will be paired with an award-winning North Carolina Wine. And, there will be Pepsi products and a local beer for guests to enjoy as well.
The 2024 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale, presented by GotToBeNC will take place at Bay 7 at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, NC on August 26, from 6-8:30 pm. Tickets are now on sale at NCChefShowdown.com
It’s GotToBeNC
The NC Department of Agriculture, Got To be NC, is the presenting sponsor for the NCRLA Chef Showdown. Competitors are encouraged to include as many local products and feature as many local producers and farmers,
proteins and produce in each of their competition dishes and drinks as makes sense. In 2023, the NCRLA Chef Showdown supported over 400 Local NC Farmers and Producers. In 2024 we are well on track to well surpass that
number.
More about the NCRLA
The annual NCRLA Chef Showdown, now in its 8th year, is a fundraising event to benefit the North Carolina Lodging & Restaurant Association ( NCRLA) and the North Carolina Hospitality Industry. The NCRLA is the driving force
behind the state’s $34.9 billion hospitality industry. The mission is to Protect, Educate, and Promote the North Carolina hospitality industry.