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Meet the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Semifinalists

Heidi Billotto

These past two weeks have been an NCRLA Chef Showdown whirlwind. Let’s catch up on all the fun!

After five preliminary rounds of culinary competition across the state, starting in early April this year and ending in June, the season culminated with two back-to-back semifinal  rounds of culinary competition over the past two weeks. WOW! It’s all a part of the  2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown which celebrates the season with this year’s Aug 4 Grand Finale, held at bay 7 in Durham NC. It’s a not-to-be-missed, ambulatory and interactive culinary event, celebrating all things North Carolina. Tickets for this once a year extravaganza are On Sale Now.

From an initial field of 79 chefs and pastry chefs, who cooked through the five preliminary rounds, the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) announced the 29 semi finalists, advancing to the regional semifinal rounds of competition in late June.

Meet the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Semifinalists:

Here is the list of the chefs and pastry chefs from across the state, invited to participate the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown semifinals:

11 semifinalists in action one week, 18 the next

In the two weeks that followed, heated semifinal rounds of competition took place in Charlotte at Central Piedmont Community College and in Raleigh in the Baking & Pastry Arts Kitchens at Wake Tech Community College. Competitors on the sweet and savory side of the kitchen were challenged to create competition plates featuring as many locally sourced, North Carolina ingredients as made sence. Competing chefs were also encouraged to share their story on the plate.

Together these 29 chefs and pastry chefs sourced from well over 200 local farms and producers – keeping their competition dishes as local as they could.

They also served on lots of local platware, much from one of our sponsors, Haand Pottery in Burlington; and cooked with local cookware, much from our official cast iron sponsor, Carolina Cooker, available at AgriSupply stores across the state.

You can also WIN one of the gorgeous cast iron pans at the Grand Finale. Our chefs have been cooking on these amazing cast iron pans all competition season long; so Carolina Cooker can’t resell them. But they can (and do!) give them away in a raffle at the Grand Finale. You must attend the Grand Finale to be eligible to win, so get those tickets now.

Meet the Judges and the team…

The plan each year is to to have a panel of four former NCRLA Chef Showdown Champions sit at the Judges’ Table. The same four for each of the semifinal rounds of competition. While there is serious work to be done, there is also always time for fun.

The goal is to have the same four judges at both rounds of semifinal competition. But sometimes life has other plans.

The Judges Table in Charlotte, was sponsored by the CRVA and Martin’s Distribution. These chefs were are semifinal culinary round judges.

But then, this happened, Chef Krenz wasn’t able to join us in Raleigh due to a case of strep throat. So at the Raleigh Judges’ Table, sponsored by Visit Raleigh, the Dynamic Duo of Chad Blackwelder from the NC Department of Agriculture and Jason Allen, our Cast Iron go-to guy from Carolina Cooker, shared the fouth judges seat. Both Chad and Jason are fierce Chef Showdown supports and have been at each round of 2025 competition. As such, they were familiar with all of the competitors and the plates showcased at the first round of semifinal competition. They did a stellar job in their new rolls.

In addition to the judges and Chad and Jason, my heartfelt thanks also goes out to Robin Gavin & Beth Thompson-Peace, our 2025 series production assistants; Chef Caralyn House and her team at Wake Tech; Beth and her team at CPCC; and of course the entire team at the NCRLA.

Hat’s off to our Lodging Sponsors for both of these rounds

Breakfast at The Asbury in Charlotte’s Dunhill Hotel

While we were in the Queen City, our judges’ home away from home was the Dunhill Hotel in Uptown Charlotte. Breakfast the day after at The Asbury, located just off the hotel lobby was a great meet up place for our judges to recap all the excitement of the day before.

Same in Cary NC the week that followed. Thanks to to our lodging sponsor in Raleigh, CMC Hotels who made our judging team feel right at home at the Fairfeild Inn by Marriott and the SpringHill by Marriott , both in Cary, NC. Two wonderful places to stay when you visit the Triangle. Comfy rooms and a complimentary breakfast and coffee 24/7 are all you need.

Here’s What Happens Next

And that’s a wrap for the 2025 NCRL:A Chef Showdown Culinary Competition. Our next BIG announcement will be the reveal of the 20 finalists – 15 chefs creating savory plates and 5 pastry chefs who will all be advancing to present at the Aug 4 Grand Finale.

The Grand Finale is the only Chef Showdown event, open to the public and its one you won’t want to miss. It all takes place on August 4, 2025 in Durham at Bay 7 and, take it from me, it’s a blast. Guests at the finale can sample sweet and savory bites and sip cocktails and mocktails prepared by the finalists. They’ll also cast votes for their Sysco People’s Choice favorites. And, for the first time ever, the Grand Finale will feature a NC Wine Bar, where guests can sip and swirl some of North Carolinas award-winning wineries, meaderies and cideries. Don’t sleep on these tickets, they will be gone before you know it! 

Get Your Aug 4 Chef Showdown Grand Finale Tickets Here

In addition to the 20 chefs, there will also be 6 teams of mixology finalists – to be announced later this month, after two back-to-back mixology semifinal rounds of competition coming up in the weeks ahead.

For more information about the NCRLA Chef Showdown and to follow the competition, visit NCChefShowdown.com and follow NCRLA and NCRLA Chef Showdown on social media.

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