CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Three Charlotte restaurants are represented among this year’s semifinalists for James Beard Awards.
There are 17 in total from North Carolina and South Carolina in the running for the prestigious culinary honors.
In celebration of the awards’ 35th anniversary, as well as in recognition of the ever-evolving independent restaurant landscape, the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards have expanded with a focus on beverages, introducing three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
The chefs at Restaurant Constance, an intimate farm-to-table business on Thift Road, and Community Matters Cafe, a nonprofit uptown cafe are up for Best Chef in the Southeast. Meanwhile, Plaza-Midwood’s Supperland is up for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Here are the semifinalists from the Carolinas: Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Colleen Hughes, Supperland, Charlotte
Best Chef: Southeast
- Sam Diminich, Restaurant Constance, Charlotte
- Chayil Johnson, Community Matters Cafe, Charlotte
- Sunny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey, Olivero, Wilmington, NC
- Silver Iocovozzi, Neng Jr.’s, Asheville
- Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue, Knightdale
- Ashleigh Shanti, Good Hot Fish, Asheville
- Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
Outstanding Chef
- William Dissen, The Market Place, Asheville
- Ricky Moore, Saltbox Seafood Joint, Durham
- Chubby Fish, Charleston, SC
Emerging Chef
- Bhavin Chhatwani, Tamasha Modern Indian, Raleigh
Best New Restaurant
- Figulina, Raleigh
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- April Franqueza, The Dining Room at High Hampton, Cashiers
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Leo’s House of Thirst, Asheville
- Femi Oyediran and Miles White, Graft Wine Shop, Charleston, SC
Best New Bar
- The Bar Beej, Durham, NC
Nominees will be announced on April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16 in Chicago.
