The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association released the names of the chefs that will compete in this year’s Chef Showdown, and 17 chefs in the area will compete. The annual state-wide competition begins with four semi-final rounds in different cities — including one in Charlotte — with the winning chefs advancing to the grand finale. 

The grand finale event will take place on August 9 in Durham, and guests can sample chefs’ dishes and vote on their favorites. 

The Charlotte-area semi-finals will take place at Central Piedmont Community College, where judges will select the chefs who will be among the 20 finalists. The semi-finals are not open to the public. Along with the advancing chefs, several local mixologists will compete at the grand finale, including Colleen Hughes (Supperland), Larisa Yanicak (BackStage Lounge), and Rhea Buck (Haberdish). The top-scoring mixologists and chefs will win the titles of Chef, Pastry Chef, and Mixologist of the Year. Charlotte has won the titles many times in the past several years. 

Here are the chefs in the initial round of 48 participating chefs:

A. Marie Barefield, Sweet Spot Studio
Andres Prussing, Charlotte Marriott City Center
Angelique Robinson, Fahrenheit
Ann Marie Stefaney, Southminster Senior Living
Chayil Johnson, Community Matters Café
Gerald Hawkins Jr., Gaston Country Club (Gastonia)
Logan Wright, The Club at Longview (Waxhaw)
Mallory DeNunzio, Heirloom Restaurant (Belmont)
Matthew Martin, Freshlist
Matthew Shepard, Yafo Kitchen
Myles Scaglione, Heirloom Restaurant (Belmont)
Phillip Platoni, Southminster Senior Living
Rob Clement, Meshugganah
Sam Allen, Wentworth & Fenn
Sam Hart, Counter-
Savanna Brodar, Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel
Whitney Thomas, Grand Bohemian Hotel

See the full list of participating chefs across the state here.

 

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