While no Raleigh chefs nor restaurants landed a James Beard Award nomination this year, the Triangle’s six semifinalists continue to highlight the area’s strong culinary scene.
The two 2025 nominations repping NC are Silver Iocovozzi for Neng Jr.’s in Asheville (Best Chef: Southeast) and April Franqueza from The Dining Room at High Hampton in Cashiers (Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker).
Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for the prestigious James Beard Awards, recognizing the top food talent in the US, and six Triangle chefs + restaurants have were named among the cream of the crop.
- Scott Crawford: Outstanding Restaurateur
- Ricky Moore, Saltbox Seafood Joint: Outstanding Chef
- Bhavin Chhatwani, Tamasha Modern Indian: Emerging Chef
- Figulina: Best New Restaurant
- The Bar Beej: Best New Bar
- Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue: Best Chef: Southeast
If you’re keeping up, Crawford and Son was among the nominees in 2024, and Durham’s Ricky Moore nabbed Best Chef: Southeast in 2022.
The Bar Beej, Cheeni Durham’s adjoining Bollywood-themed speakeasy, isn’t Chef Preeti Waas’s first brush with the James Beard Awards — Waas is a two-time semifinalist for Cheeni’s original Raleigh emporium.
First timers include: Bhavin Chhatwani who orchestrates the grand performance of Tamasha in North Hills; Figulina and its tasty Italian-meets-English inspired menu; and Christopher Prieto of Prime Barbecue fame out in Knightdale. Plus, Sunny Gerhart of St. Roch was listed for his Wilmington restaurant Olivero.
