NCDA&CS announces 2022-23 Culinary Ambassadors

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has announced the following 2022-23 Got to Be NC team of Culinary Ambassadors, representing restaurants across the state.

The chefs are determined from the winners of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Annual Chef Showdown. The finals for this competition was held Monday, Aug. 8 at the Angus Barn in Raleigh. These chefs each placed as state-wide title winners in the six-month long culinary competition. The chefs, the restaurant they represent, and their winning title are listed below.

• Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls in Charlotte – Chef of the Year
• Lydia Greene of Machete in Greensboro – Pastry Chef of the Year
• Kevin Cottrel of Machete in Greensboro – First Runner Up Chef
• Gerald Hawkins of Seabird in Wilmington – First Runner Up Pastry Chef
• Myles Scaglione of PARA in Charlotte – People’s Choice Chef
• Savanna Broder of The Ballantyne Hotel in Charlotte – People’s Choice Pastry Chef

“We are proud to have these chefs lend their culinary influence to the Got to Be NC program,” said Chad Blackwelder, food service marketing specialist. “These chefs will be our advocates for promoting North Carolina food and beverage products throughout the state, and will assist with marketing efforts through cooking demonstrations, educational seminars and seasonal recipe development. We are excited to see their work in the coming year and how it will benefit North Carolina’s vibrant local food scene.”

Other Awards from the 2022 Chef Showdown:

• Mixologist and Distillery of the Year: David Bowen of Ginger Fox representing Broad Branch Distilling in Winston Salem.
• Runners Up: Jessie Rossabi of The Willard Rooftop Lounge representing Mystic Farm and Distillery in Durham.
• People’s Choice: Brian Pitt of Flying Taproom and Kitchen representing Blue Shark Vodka in Wilmington.