If you have been following along, you already know the whole backstory. If you are just joining me, start with The NCRLA Chef Showdown: How It Started and Where It Is Now, the origin story I published just a few days ago. It is the best place to catch up on how a single good idea grew into North Carolina’s largest annual culinary and mixology competition, now in its 10th season. In this post I’m sharing a recap of our most recent culinary preliminary round: The NCRLA Chef Showdown Pinehurst Culinary Prelim.
You’ve got the history in hand, so now, let’s spend a little time looking back at this year’s preliminary rounds of culinary competition. Then, we’ll be ready to move ahead to the regional rounds at the end of the month. With that, dear reader, let’s rewind to the culinary competition that took us to Pinehurst, NC.
The 2026 NCRLA Chef Showdown turned up the heat on Monday, June 29, 2026. It was the fourth culinary preliminary round of our 10th competition season. We fired it all up at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, NC.
Our competing chefs cooked in the teaching kitchens at Sandhills School of Culinary and Pastry Arts. Thirteen chefs and pastry chefs plated competition dishes and desserts for the judges. Each chef hoping for an invitation to advance to the next round.
Who Competed in the Chef Showdown Pinehurst Culinary Prelim?
Here is the lineup of competing chefs and pastry chefs for this round. Shown here in the order listed below.
- Pastry Chef Monica Fowler of Maisonette in Southern Pines
- Pastry Chef Michael Beers of River Run Country Club in Davidson
- Chef Matt Hannon of Ashten’s in Southern Pines
- Chef Myles Scaglione of Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte
- Chef Khaled Abdul of Craft Public House in Cary
- Chef Kevin Straton of Depot on First in Knightdale
- Chef Spyros Skellas of Taverna Agora in Raleigh
- Chef Rob Howard of Shmack ‘n Co. in Raleigh
- Chef Roberto Barth of Vidrio in Raleigh
- Pastry Chef Becky Keil of Porter’s Neck Country Club in Wilmington
- Chef Semion Spencer of Island Bodega in Raleigh
- Chef James “JP” Patterson of McConnell Golf, representing Porter’s Neck Country Club in Wilmington
- Chef Winston Brown of Sheraton Imperial RTP
When Will the 2026 Semifinalists Be Announced?
This is the question I get most, so let’s answer it right up front. The list of 2026 semifinalists will be announced in mid-July. The announcement comes after the last of this year’s five preliminary culinary rounds is completed. Keep an eye on my social feeds and the NCRLA Chef Showdown channels. I’ll share the news the moment it is official.
Who Judged the Pinehurst Culinary Prelim?
Weighing in on the day’s dishes was a judging panel with serious range. A former Chef of the Year; a culinary educator and cookbook author, and one of the most inventive chocolatiers working in the state. Here is a little more on each of them, and on the businesses and events they run. Each of them is worth your attention long after the competition dishes are cleared.
Chef Adé Carrena, Dounou Cuisine, Raleigh
Adé Carrena was our 2023 NCRLA Chef of the Year, so having her at the judges’ table felt exactly right. A native of Benin, she cooks a neo-West African cuisine that she describes, accurately, as both food and storytelling. You will sometimes find her serving authentic Beninese street food from her Dounou Cuisine food truck around Raleigh. Or see her hosting immersive, story-driven farm-to-table dinners that pull as much from North Carolina farmers as they do from her home country.
There is more to know. Adé is a Food Network “Chopped” champion. She founded the spice company iLéWA Foods, which sources directly from women farmers in Benin and Ghana. She made a documentary short, “Bite of Bénin”, about culinary inheritance and the search for home; and she runs a dinner series called “What the Tongue Remembers.” If you have never eaten Beninese food, she is the person to change that.
Chef Mark Allison, Charlotte
Mark Allison has cooked for more than four decades, starting at 16 in the UK. Today he lives in Charlotte and works as a chef consultant, culinary educator, and cookbook author. His titles include “3 Boys & a Chef” and “Let’s Be Smart About Diabetes”. His work all is with a focus on food as medicine through his Midlife Wellness & Beyond initiative.
Mark is also the founder of Chefs Against Cancer, the annual Charlotte fundraiser he created with his wife and partner, Jaclyn Beith, in memory of his late wife, Alison. Every year it brings top Charlotte chefs together to cook one unforgettable dinner. All proceeds going to education, research, and support services for cancer patients and survivors. The annual event is a genuine act of community benefitting four cancer charities. If you would like to be in the room, you can get your tickets here.
This August, Mark is taking the cause even higher, literally. He will climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, to raise money for the charities Chefs Against Cancer supports. It is a big, brave undertaking for a big-hearted reason. If you are moved to cheer him on, you can support the climb with a donation. You’ll find the details and links to donate on the Chefs Against Cancer website here.
Chef Justin Fry, JF Chocolat, Charlotte
Justin Fry is the executive chocolatier and owner of JF Chocolat. Justin is known for nostalgic, playful confections that go well beyond the usual bonbon. He trained in the pastry arts at Johnson & Wales. Was named Chocolatier of the Year in 2014, and you may recognize him from Netflix’s “Bake Squad.”
Justin is also the founder and president of the National Pastry Conference, aka PastryCon. He launched the event in Charlotte in 2024 and it runs every other year. That makes 2026 an on year: the next conference lands October 3 to 5, 2026. It will take place at the Charlotte Convention Center, with a gala on October 6. If you love watching pastry chefs, chocolatiers, and cake artists compete live, mark your calendar now.
From the Judges’ Table
Halfway through the day of judging at the Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Judge’s Table, I sat down with the panel to talk. We chatted about all they were looking for, what surprised them, and what it takes to move a plate from good to unforgettable. It is a good look inside the judging, and worth a few minutes of your time. You can watch the video here. Plus there is a fun unexpected ending that involves a tasting of Justin’s chocolate covered cherries at the end of the day!
The Judges’ Dinner at James Creek Cider House
The hospitality for this round started the night before, at the Judges’ Dinner hosted by David and Ann Marie Thornton, the cider makers and owners of James Creek Cider House in Cameron, NC.
The North Carolina Wine & Grape Council is a long time sponsor of the NCRLA Chef Showdown. At each round a member, winery, meadery or cidery, helps to host the Sunday Night Judges Dinner.
Our team and judges gathered for a tasting, a tour, and some very good local cheese & charcuterie, a relaxed local kickoff to the big day of competition ahead.
The Thorntons make premium, harvest-based ciders from Southern heirloom and cider apple varieties grown in their own Moore County orchard and on neighboring NC farms, plus a modern Stargazer line blended with the fruit they and their neighbors grow. They planted 65 varieties of heirloom and cider apples, and they fold in local strawberries, rhubarb, basil, honey, peaches, and pears as the seasons turn. One of their ciders, the Bee Hive Ginger, was even named one of the top ciders in the country by USA Today, which is remarkable for a cidery this small and this rooted in place.
As part of the tour and tasting, our group got to try barrel samples of the annual Blueberry Blend, this year crafted with local basil, set for release on July 3. Everyone was in agreement: it is one to add to your collection of NC wines, meads, and ciders, and an excellent reason to point the car toward Cameron this summer. Here’s a fun little video of our tour and tasting at James Creek Cider House.
Want to Visit James Creek? Plan now for Blueberry Season and Peach Week in the Sandhills
Here is the good news for the rest of us: you do not need a judge’s badge to enjoy James Creek. The tasting room and cider garden are open Wednesday through Sunday, with shaded outdoor seating, ten-plus ciders on tap, local cheese and cured meats, and food trucks most Fridays and Saturdays. It is a stop on both the Sandhills Pour Tour and the Sandhills Wine Trail passports, so it slots neatly into a weekend of eating and drinking your way through Moore County.
Time your visit around the local celebrations and it gets even better. The July Fourth Weekend, marks the release of James Creek annual Blueberry Cider, this year, laced with fresh basil. Don’t sleep on this one. It’s worth the trip all on its own, but you can also order online for home delivery across the US.
Then there is Peach Week, the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen celebration that runs July 18 to 26, 2026. This is an expansion of the long-running NC Peach Festival in nearby Candor. James Creek anchors the party with Peach A’Palooza on Sunday, July 19, an afternoon of orchard and cidery tours, live music, fresh peaches, peach cider slushies, and a farmers market.
Want to know more? Check out this recently updated post I wrote about the Sandhills annual peach festival and all it offers.
The Sponsors Who Made the Day Possible
Back to the day of NCRLA Chef Showdown. Behind every great day of competition is a generous lineup of sponsors, and this round was no exception.
The Culinary and Pastry Arts Department at Sandhills Community College opened its kitchens as our venue sponsor and gave the competitors a first-class stage.
The team at Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen stepped up as our Judges’ Table sponsor; and Pinehurst Resort kept everyone comfortably settled as our lodging sponsor.
Nathan Lowery with Spicewalla, our spice pantry sponsor, was on hand during the day of competition with herbs, spices, rubs, blends, and culinary powders for the chefs to reach for as they built their plates.
Look for videos from our judges talking about how they plan to cook with Spicewalla this summer coming soon.
And as always, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, the Chef Showdown’s longtime title sponsor, was right in the mix. They are the Eat and Cook Local inspiration, championing the good things that grow or are raised, caught or made in North Carolina.
Speaking of local, each chef and sous chef received a gift bag of lots of local swag from sponsors. In addition they each had the opportunity to “shop” from the Tidewater Grain Company table for local NC grown Carolina Gold Rice, middlins, rice flour and Tidewater’s line of Southern Breeze Seafood breaders. And, there were stickers, too!
I am proud to share that for this round, our chefs and pastry chefs sourced from 78 different Got to Be NC farmers and producers. That number speaks to the whole point of what we do, the way we do it.
Tickets to the Grand Finale Are On Sale Now
The preliminary and regional rounds of this competition are private events. But, the 2026 season keeps rolling toward our open-to-the-public Grand Finale on September 2, 2026. Tickets are on sale now at NCChefShowdown.com. Call your people, make your plans, and book your reservations today. It is an evening you will not want to miss.
Up next in this series, a quick look back at both of our Mixology preliminary rounds with nods to those competitors; and then we’ll go back and talk about the rest of the culinary prelims. Lots to cover before we start the regional rounds taking place in July and August. I can’t wait to write about it all.
Heidi Billotto is the Executive Producer of the NCRLA Chef Showdown, a widely popular annual event benefiting the NCRLA and directly giving back to North Carolina’s hospitality industry. Heidi Billotto is a culinary storyteller, educator, and on-air expert who brings local food to life wherever she goes. She connects small family farmers, independent producers, and regional makers to the people, plates, and media outlets that showcase their work, then shows her readers and followers how to bring those ingredients home to their own tables. Known for her deep relationships, genuine curiosity, joyful style, and sincere passion for all she does, Heidi elevates local food culture on the regular through cooking, teaching, travel, and media.
And whenever you see these five little words “Tell Them Heidi Sent You” (with or without the hashtag), know that they are my personal seal of approval. It means I have been there, I believe in the folks behind it, and I am sending you their way with my whole heart. So go on… and