The tides weren’t the only things rising in Morehead City this week, so was the culinary talent, plate after impressive plate, at the third preliminary round of the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown. It was another great round of culinary competition. Set against the lovely waterfront backdrop of Carteret Community College’s gorgeous Hospitality and Culinary Arts Center, this round served up ten wildly talented chefs and pastry chefs in a high-energy day of competition. This day, like each of the culinary preliminary rounds this year, was a full-on showcase of what makes North Carolina’s culinary scene so rich: regional ingredients, a coastal vibe, and chefs who bring the heat.

Meet the Chefs Who Made Waves at the Coast

The real stars of the show this day of preliminary culinary competition? These chefs and pastry chefs, who each came ready to impress:

• Brendon Appel-Hughes, Fishmonger’s Honest Seafood – Holly Ridge
• Mauricio Huarcaya, Gustu Peruano – Wilmington
• Sean Riggin, Seasons 52 – Raleigh
• Tyler Smith, 34° North – Beaufort
• Jason Talbott, Chef Jason’s Kitchen – Oak Island
• Daniel Murray, Cypress Hall – New Bern
• Jacob Stone, Catch Restaurant – Wilmington
• Becky Keil, Porters Neck Country Club – Wilmington
• Nicholas Chavez, Dram Yard – Wilmington
• Gerald Hawkins, The Beach Shop & Grill & Country Club of Landfall – Topsail Beach/Wilmington

Each plate told a story. So proud to share that we had 81 local North Carolina farmers, fisherman and producers featured as sources for all of the local ingredients on competition plates for this day.

It all moves this year’s competition one step closer to the Grand Finale on August 4 at Bay 7 in Durham. The Grand Finale – a wonderful night of eating and drinking locally – is the only public tasting event of this year long competition. Tickets on sale at NCChefShowdown.com . Get them now, you definitely don’t want to miss out!

At the Judges’ Table: Morehead City Edition

This wasn’t their first rodeo, or Chef Showdown, for that matter. Our panel of judges not only enjoyed the day of competition; but also loved the tour we took the next morning, of the Carteret Community College Aquaculture Technology program with program chair, David Cerino – amazing stuff!. Judging this round were three of North Carolina’s finest:

• Chef Sera Cuni Chef and owner of Root Cellar Cafe & Catering in Pittsboro and Chapel Hill; Winner of the Food Network’s, Supermarket Stakeout and the chef and community advocate behind the Feed Well Fridges program.
• Chef Preeti Waas, a two-time James Beard semifinalist and the powerhouse behind Durham’s Cheeni, The Bar Beej and The Nanny Goat Bodega which will open at RTP early this summer.
• Pastry Chef Tie Whitaker, co-owner of Buttermilk Boutique in Clayton NC and NCRLA’s 2021 Pastry Chef of the Year.

These judges brought not only expert palates but generous spirits and serious street cred, offering thoughtful feedback and celebrating every creative risk taken.

Beautiful Beaufort Nights, Pizza and Burritos, too!

While we are traveling for one of the Preliminary or Regional rounds of Chef Showdown competition, we don’t just work hard, we eat well, too. And we try hard to support the culinary and hospitality community we are visiting.

Huge thanks to our lodging sponsor for this round, The Beaufort Hotel. Here judges and team members could rest and recharge by the sea. The Beaufort Hotel is a longtime Chef Showdown sponsor. Involved, in fact, since the day this charming gem of the Crystal Coast opened for business. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate the longtime support. You can read more about another visit Tom and I made to Beaufort here.

Our Judges’ Dinners

Our Sunday night Judges’ dinner brought us back to a favorite in Beaufort, Black Sheep Pizza. The pizza, the mac and cheese and the beet and arugula salad were all faves of our crew.

Pro Tip here: Enjoy the arugula and beet salad on top of a slice of pizza for the very best bite!

When you go you must also stop in for drinks at The Green Room, the bar at Black Sheep, right next door. Then, get set to do a little shopping for lots of local at the Beaudega ( See what they did there!). Just look for the flag that flies on the water side of Front Street for this trio of local businesses.

Monday night? The judges had been eating all day as they tasted through sweet and savory plates; but still, we all needed a little something more to help unwind for the evening over a glass or two of NC Wine.

We kept it casual with takeout from Dank Burrito in Morehead City. The concept actually started in Beaufort and is now a successful franchise by Chef Clarke Merrill. With the Beaufort location now closed, the Morehead City shop is considered the OG of the NC-born chain. Lunch or dinner here never disappoints.

This balance of local love and culinary exploration is what the Showdown is all about. Every city we visit becomes part of our story.

Heavy Metal, Southern Style

With sizzle, style, and a whole lot of seasoned surface, our official cast iron cookware sponsor, Carolina Cooker, helped to bring the heat to the day, quite literally. With sizzle, style, and a whole lot of seasoned surface, our go-to guru of cast iron, and the voice behind the brand, Jason Allen rolled in with a full spread of skillets, griddles, bakeware, and pans for the chefs to cook with and they made the most of it all, searing, baking, and plating with serious finesse.

Beyond just supplying the goods, Jason helps us keep the cast iron conversation going all season long. After each round, we film short videos with our judges where they dish on their favorite pans and how they use them. (And yes, each one comes with a recipe. Check out the NCRLA Chef Showdown social media feeds if you’re hungry for inspiration.)

Then, at the Grand Finale on August 4, Jason brings back every well-loved pan from every round, and in a big, fun giveaway, dozens of lucky guests get to take a piece of the competition home. Talk about a hot souvenir!

Next Stops? Raleigh & Asheville, too!

The Road to the Finale Rolls On

We’ve got two more prelims before the regional rounds kick in:

• June 2 at Wake Tech in Raleigh
• June 16 at AB Tech in Asheville

The journey’s heating up—and trust us, you’re going to want to keep watching. Every plate gets us one step closer to the Grand Finale, presented by Got To Be NC, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and powered by the passion of chefs who love local as much as I do.

But Wait, This Time There’s More

For me and my husband Tom, this trip to the coast for the Morehead City culinary preliminary round was a bit different from other rounds. The competition was the day before our 19th Wedding Anniversary. So, we decided to add on an extra day and night at the Beaufort Hotel after the competition, to celebrate.

Stay tuned for a post about all the fun we had that afternoon and evening with Capt. Ken and first mate, Mandy of Crusin’ Tiki Beaufort, enjoying the water and checking in on the wild horses on Carrot Island, across Taylor’s Creek from The Beaufort Hotel. The day was followed by a wonderful anniversary dinner at Blue Moon Bistro in Beaufort. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.