NCRLA Chef Showdown

09/10/2025

Read all about it! Food & Travel writer, and our NCRLA Chef Showdown executive producer, Heidi Billotto shares her recap on the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale...

Food & Travel writer, Heidi Billotto, executive producer of the NCRLA Chef Showdown shares her recap of the event's 2025 Grand Finale

08/25/2025

Thanks to our longtime supporters and sponsors at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - they have been with us since the very beginning - for sharing this good news and final results of the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown grand finale!!

In case you missed it...the winners of the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown have been announced! 👨‍🍳🎉

NCRLA Chef of the Year: Mauricio Huarcaya with Gustu Peruano in Wilmington
NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year: Luis Rojas with the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Charlotte
NCRLA Mixologist of the Year: Sarah McCabe with the Longleaf Hotel in Raleigh

Learn more about all of the winners from this year's competition in the article below!

Full story: https://www.ncrla.org/2025/north-carolina-restaurant-and-lodging-associations-chef-showdown-winners-announced/

08/22/2025

Thanks to the amazing videography team at Digital P Media for everything they put into the official 2025 video, capturing all of the fun, food and flavor at this year’s Grand Finale, held in early August at at the in Durham NC. 😊Watch it with us, and repost and share with all your local food loving friends, as we relive every delicious moment and memory!

08/21/2025

We are loving the fact that everyone is still talking about all the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale wins and all the delicious dishes and drinks our finalists created!! Thanks to our supporters and sponsors at The Dairy Alliance for this post!

08/19/2025

We can't get over the fact that everyone is still talking about our 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale in Durham at Bay 7 at the American To***co Campus.
It was a stellar event and we love this video recap of it all from our Exclusive Cast Iron Cookware Sponsor, Carolina Cooker!

North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association The Dairy Alliance North N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Go behind the scenes at one of the most intense cooking events in the state of North Carolina: the 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown! See firsthand how North Carolina...

08/16/2025

NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale Finalists in the news... Check out this great profile piece on Mixologist Sean Teague in Charlotte. In this years competition, Sean partnered with Southern Artisan Spirits Cardinal Gin.
Thanks for the coverage Unpretentious Palate

Charlotte native focuses on the science and flexibility of mixology

08/09/2025

Chefs in the news!!
Thanks to CBS 17 for sharing the word on our 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale and the evening’s top winners!

Some Triangle chefs and mixologists were recognized Monday night among the winners of the ninth annual North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Chef Showdown.

08/09/2025

So great to have The Dairy Alliance as one of our longtime sponsors and supporters!

We love all our chefs and mixologists are doing to feature local NC dairy products and dairy farmers on their competition dishes and desserts and in their competition cocktails and mocktails!!

https://thedairyalliance.com/blog/2025-ncrla-chef-showdown-awards-top-honors?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR7zATUKteS9eYFDvmDOpIfuP-wBX1u4dUwvEcYv8yWCIY-9JAxNUeBChWGG9A_aem_YVfpTFols92qD4u50yq_Zw

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) hosted its ninth Chef Showdown on August 4, 2025. It has named its 2025 winners.

08/08/2025

NCRLA Chef Showdown 2025 finalists in the news!!!
Great article on Wilkes County native, our NCRLA Mixologist of the Year, Sarah McCabe of The Longleaf Hotel. In the The Wilkes Record

https://thewilkesrecord.com/ferguson-news-and-the-winner-is%E2%80%A6-p10694-149.htm

08/07/2025

THIS JUST IN FROM END OF DAYS DISTILLERY • Wilmington NC

’s award-winning drinks are available for you to try at The Lounge until we run out!
Chaos Theory and Clari-Tea won Peoples’ Choice Award Best Cocktail and Mocktail at the along with the Undeniably Dairy Award Best Cocktail and Mocktail!

Come visit the distillery and cheer on the champ! These drinks will only be available for a very limited time. Open from 11am to 9pm. Also is cooking her menu, Sap Lai, in the all week/end long!

08/07/2025

Our good friends, sponsors and supporters at The Dairy Alliance highlight all four of our 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Undeniably Dairy Award Winners in this post on their website!

Looking good Chef Bobby McFarland Glasshouse Kitchen , winner of The Dairy Alliance Award for best Savory Dish; Chef Michael A Beers, CEC, CCA , River Run Country Club, winner of The Dairy Alliance award for best dessert; and Mixologist Natalie Takacs of EOD Distillery, winner of The Dairy Alliance Award for Best Mocktail and The Dairy Alliance Award for Best Cocktail!!

Read the article and then make plans to go see the chefs and mixologist and taste for yourself!
All great reasons to Visit North Carolina, Discover Durham, and Visit Wilmington, NC and Beaches

North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association
N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

https://thedairyalliance.com/blog/2025-ncrla-chef-showdown-undeniably-dairy-awards-announced?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5Kog0mBm9bpgGeZx0qPVo2ygMmYdiPcvPBjRcl6RbUHmIdFHeobaMHOKuXkg_aem_exdTnZIwFxL3GTjPjcRUrA

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) hosted its ninth Chef Showdown on August 4, 2025. Four “Undeniably Dairy Awards” presented by The Dairy Alliance were awarded to those who showcased the best use of dairy products.