The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) held the semifinal round of its annual Chef Showdown culinary competition on Monday at Central Piedmont Community College in Uptown.

The annual event raises money for the NCRLA and its mission to protect, educate and promote the growth of the state’s $34.9-billion hospitality industry. The 2024 competition is expected to surpass the 2023 total of over 400 local producers and farmers included in the competition.

The ninth year of the competition kicked off in March, with more than 70 chefs taking part in the first round. The semifinal round on Monday featured 12 of the remaining 28 competitors, with chefs competing for the NCRLA Chef of the Year title and inclusion on the 2024-’25 Got To Be NC team.

Chefs represented restaurants across North Carolina, using ingredients locally sourced from more than 400 North Carolina farms and distributors…

Chef Myles Scaglione of Dot Dot Dot cooked a savory dish that married Amish and North Carolinian cooking techniques, while Suzette Ramsey of McNinch House Restaurant baked a pastry inspired by the Strawberry Shortcake doll character from the 1970s…

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