Raleigh's Crawford & Son is a finalist for James Beard's outstanding hospitality award

Three North Carolina restaurants landed finalist nominations for the prestigious James Beard Awards — including one of Raleigh's favorite dining destinations .

Why it matters: This year's awards nominations highlight the strong growth of Eastern North Carolina's culinary scene, from the buzz of Raleigh to a small town on the Pamlico River.

Driving the news: Crawford & Son , one of Raleigh's most popular restaurants led by chef Scott Crawford, is a finalist for the James Beard's "Outstanding Hospitality" category. Crawford opened the Southern-inspired restaurant in late 2016.

• Dean Neff of downtown Wilmington's coastal-infused Seabird is a finalist for "Outstanding Chef."
• And Jamie Davis, of The Hackney restaurant in the small Pamlico River town of Washington, is a finalist for "Best Chef: Southeast."

Flashback: The Triangle has had a good run at the James Beard Awards in the past decade.

• Ricky Moore of Durham's Saltbox Seafood Joint won for "Best Chef: Southeast" in 2022 ; Raleigh's Ashley Christensen won the award in 2014; Chapel Hill's Andrea Reusing in 2011; and Ben Barker won in 2000 for his work at the now-closed Durham restaurant Magnolia Grill.
• In 2019, Christensen also won the overall "Outstanding Chef."

Several Triangle restaurants had been in contention for awards this season before the list was whittled down to the current finalists.

• Cheetie Kumar's Five Points restaurant Ajja had been nominated for "Best New Restaurant." Raleigh bar Bittersweet was a semifinalist in the "Outstanding Bar" category and Preeti Waas, head of the Indian restaurant Cheeni, was a seminfinalist for "Best Chef: Southeast."

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