2022 NCRLA Chef Showdown
Presented by Got To Be NC Agriculture
Grand Finale: Monday, August 8, 6-8:30 pm
The Pavilion at the Angus Barn, in Raleigh NC
Now in its sixth sensational season, this prestigious, can’t-miss culinary and cocktail competition is the only statewide contest in which the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association names the NCRLA Chef of the Year, NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year, and NCRLA Bartender of the Year and the NCRLA Distillery of the Year.
While the preliminary and regional rounds of competition are private events, we welcome you to attend our August 8 Grand Finale. Here 20 top North Carolina Chefs and Pastry Chefs and six Bartenders from one end of the state to the other will come together to compete for top titles and YOU can be the judge and vote for your Performance Foodservice People’s Choice Award favorites. Get your tickets now!
“Chef Showdown has become the place to showcase the incredible talent of the North Carolina hospitality industry. Our sixth annual event will feature North Carolina’s most innovative chefs, each working with local NC products; and a group of incredibly creative bartenders all representing distilleries from across the state.”
– Lynn Minges, President & CEO of NCRLA
We are proud to announce the 48 chefs & pastry chefs and the 12 NC distilleries selected to compete in our 2022 season! Congratulations to them all!
Competing April 25 preliminary round
at Carteret County Community College, Morehead City, NC
- Chef Brett Chamberlain Hops Supply Company, Wilmington NC
- Chef Nick Chavez Salt Fish Restaurant and Tiki Bar, Carolina Beach NC
- Chef Jamie Davis The Hackney, Washington NC
- Pastry Chef Gerald Hawkins Seabird Restaurant, Wilmington NC
- Chef Christopher Lopez The Beaufort Hotel, Beaufort NC
- Pastry Chef Emily Parker The Hackney, Washington NC
Competing May 2 preliminary round
at Bobby Boy Bakeshop, Winston-Salem NC
- Pastry Chef Savanna Broder The Ballantyne Hotel, Charlotte NC
- Chef Kevin Cottrell Machete, Greensboro NC
- Chef Adam Donahue 1618 Concepts, Greensboro NC
- Chef Alex Governale Butcher and Bull, Winston-Salem NC
- Pastry Chef Lydia Green Machete, Greensboro NC
- Chef Keith Henning Black Powder Smokehouse, Jamestown NC
- Chef Andres Prussing Golden Owl Tavern, UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Charlotte NC
- Pastry Chef Luis Rojas Marriott Charlotte City Center, Charlotte NC
Competing May 16 preliminary round
at Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte NC
- Chef Jess Cochran CPCC, Charlotte NC
- Chef Chris Davis Providence County Club, Charlotte NC
- Chef Matthew Hoang New Town Farms, Waxhaw NC
- Chef Oscar Johnson Jimmy Pearls, Charlotte NC
- Chef Duke Kroger Church and Union, Charlotte NC
- Chef Olajuwon Mason Fine & Fettle at the Canopy Hilton Southpark, Charlotte NC
- Chef Phillip Platoni Southminster , Charlotte NC
- Chef Reyaña Radcliff Your Braisen Chef, Concord NC
- Chef Myles Scaglione PARA Charlotte , Charlotte NC
- Chef Matthew Shepard Yafo Kitchen, Charlotte NC
- Chef Brandon Staton Leah and Louise, Charlotte NC
- Pastry Chef Jacob Whitson The Fig Tree, Charlotte NC
- Pastry Chef Hannah Woociker MoonBox Bakery, Charlotte NC
Competing May 23 preliminary round
at AB Tech Community College Culinary School, Asheville NC
- Chef Will Bystrzycki Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Highlands NC
- Chef Charles Gardiner The Ballantyne Hotel, Charlotte NC
- Chef Tim Harding Gideon Ridge Inn, Blowing Rock NC
- Pastry Chef Whitney King Stable Cafe at Biltmore, Asheville NC
- Chef Ryan Kline Jargon Restaurant, Asheville NC
- Chef Kyle Martin Café Violette, Blowing Rock NC
- Chef Matthew Rivers Blowing Rock Country Club, Blowing Rock NC
- Chef Edwin Ryan The Barrelhouse, Asheville NC
- Pastry Chef Abby Tetterton Valle Crucis Conference Center Banner Elk, NC
- Chef Daniel Wheeler Caldwell Community College, Hudson and Boone NC
Competing June 13 preliminary round
at Wake Tech School of Baking and Pastry Arts, Raleigh, NC
- Chef Sera Cuni Root Cellar Cafe & Catering, Chapel Hill NC
- Chef Justin Duke Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel, Raleigh NC
- Chef Kyle Fletcher Norse Brewing Co., Wake Forest NC
- Chef Deanna Germano Cotton Room, Durham NC
- Pastry Chef Winde Jackson Winde Jackson Cakes, Rocky Mount NC
- Chef Ryan Lawton Flask & Beaker at the Stateview Hotel, Raleigh, NC
- Chef Hannah Riley Alternative Chef NC, Charlotte NC
- Chef Kevin Ruiz Bendito Restaurant, Raleigh NC
- Chef Kyle Teears Saint Jacques French Cuisine, Raleigh NC
- Chef Dylan Wicher The Rockford, Raleigh NC
- Chef Malik Williams Tap@1918, Rocky Mount NC
Based on the judges scores, 15 of these chefs and 5 pastry chefs will be invited to move on to one of two regional semi-final rounds of competition to be held July 11 at Wake Tech School of Baking and Pastry Arts in Raleigh, NC and July 18 at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC.
The 2022 semi finalists will be announced on June 15.
The same 20 chefs will compete for NCRLA top honors, a chance to be a 2022-23 GotToBeNC Culinary Ambassador, and will vie for the Performance FoodService People’s Choice Awards at the August 8 Grand Finale at The Pavilion at Angus Barn in Raleigh NC.
Competitors will be judged on their culinary execution & technique, the conceptualization of their dish, interpretation & style, the best use of local North Carolina ingredients on each plate, and, of course, the taste!
Fans will be able to follow the preliminary and regional round action on the NCRLA and Chef Showdown social media pages.
- Introducing our 2022 NCRLA Chef Showdown Sponsors
- Got To Be NC Culinary Ambassadors
- Meet the Past Chef Showdown Winners
- NCRLA Chef Showdown In the News
NEW for 2022! Two private regional rounds of our Mixology Competition where North Carolina bartenders partner with NC Distilleries to shake and stir their way into the top six semi-finalist spots at the August 8 Grand Finale.
Competing in the June 20 Western NC Mixology Round
at The GoodYear House, Charlotte NC
- Broad Branch Distillery, Winston-Salem NC
- Cultivated Cocktails, Asheville NC
- Fainting Goat Spirits, Greensboro NC
- Great Wagon Road Distillery, Charlotte NC
- Muddy River Distillery, Belmont NC
- Southern Distilling Company, Statesville NC
Competing in the June 27 Eastern NC Mixology Round
at Vidrio Raleigh, Raleigh NC
- Aristotle Spirits, Garner NC
- Blue Shark Vodka, Wilmington NC
- Durham Distillery, Durham NC
- The Hackney Distillery, Washington NC
- Lonerider Spirits, Raleigh NC
- Mystic Farm and Distillery, Durham NC
