NCRLA announces 2025-2026 Got to Be NC Culinary and Beverage Ambassadors

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association has announced the winners of the 2025 Chef Showdown, the sate’s premier culinary and mixology competition presented by the Got to Be NC program.

The annual event brings together top chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists and distilleries from across North Carolina to compete for top honors.

The competition selects the Got to Be NC Culinary and Beverage Ambassadors, who will represent the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Got to Be NC program throughout the year at cooking demonstrations, educational seminars and promotional events.

2025–26 Got to Be NC Culinary Ambassadors

• Chef of the Year and People’s Choice Award for Best Savory Dish: Chef Mauricio Huarcaya, Gustu Peruano, Wilmington
• Pastry Chef of the Year and People’s Choice Award for Best Dessert: Pastry Chef Luis Rojas, Charlotte Marriott City Center, Charlotte
• Runner-up Chef of the Year: Chef Kevin Stratton, The Depot on First, Knightdale
• Runner-up Pastry Chef of the Year: Pastry Chef Josh Dobson, Peppervine, Charlotte

2025–26 Got to Be NC Beverage Ambassadors

• Mixologist of the Year: Sarah McCabe, The Longleaf Hotel, Raleigh
• Runner-up Mixologist of the Year: Travis James, Julep Contemporary Kitchen, Greenville
• People’s Choice Award for Best Cocktail and Best Mocktail: Natalie Takacs, End of Days Distillery, Wilmington

“The Chef Showdown is not just a competition, it is a celebration of the incredible talent of chefs and agricultural bounty we have in North Carolina,” said Chad Blackwelder, NCDA&CS food service marketing specialist. “We are looking forward to the role our new culinary and beverage ambassadors will play in promoting our state’s food and beverage industries over the next year.”