The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) hosted its tenth Chef Showdown on Sptember 2, 2026. Presented by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, this annual competition promotes and spotlights the talent of chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, and the local products available across the state of North Carolina.

The 2026 preliminary rounds of culinary competition featured talented North Carolina chefs and pastry chefs vying for high honors in this year’s Showdown. In the preliminary rounds, chefs and mixologists compete in culinary and mixology preliminary competitions. Chefs whip up savory or sweet creations, while mixologists, each paired with an NC distillery, blend craft cocktails and mocktails with flair. Then are the semi-finals, which are determined by scores from the preliminary rounds. There, eighteen chefs and eight pastry chefs compete in one of two regional culinary semi-final rounds. Only twelve mixology teams move on to the semi-finals to compete for a shot at one of six spots in the Grand Finale.

Following the preliminary and semi-final rounds, 20 of these chefs – 15 savory chefs and five pastry chefs – become finalists, as well as 6 teams of mixologists and distilleries. The Grand Finale culminated on September 2 at Bay 7 in Durham, North Carolina. This is the only round of competition that is open to the public, often drawing 500+ attendees eager for a taste of local cuisine. From these finalists were named the NCRLA Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Mixologist & Distillery of the Year, and Best Spirit-Free Cocktail of the Year.

Two additional sets of awards were announced at the Grand Finale: the People’s Choice Awards and the Dairy Does More Awards. The People’s Choice Awards recognized fan favorites for Best Savory Dish, Best Dessert, Best Cocktail, and Best Spirit-Free Cocktail. The Dairy Does More Awards presented by The Dairy Alliance honored competitors who creatively use North Carolina real dairy products in their dishes and drinks. While dairy use isn’t mandatory for general entries in the Showdown, those incorporating it could win one of four awards presented by The Dairy Alliance at the Grand Finale: Best Savory Dish, Best Dessert, Best Cocktail, and Best Spirit-Free Cocktail.

Here are the recipes and creators awarded in 2026.

2026 NCRLA Chef of the Year—Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm, Leicester
2026 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year—Charmaine Devine of Sugo Italian Steakhouse, Wilmington
2026 NCRLA Distillery of the Year—Muddy River Distillery, Mount Holly
2026 NCRLA Mixologist of the Year—Ashley Sarkis of Yunta Nikkei, Charlotte
2026 NCRLA The People’s Choice Awards Best Savory Dish—Roberto Barth of Vidrio, Raleigh
2026 NCRLA The People’s Choice Awards Best Dessert—Charmaine Devine of Sugo Italian Steakhouse, Wilmington
2026 NCRLA The People’s Choice Awards Best Cocktail—Zach Benson of Supperland, Charlotte
2026 NCRLA The People’s Choice Awards Best Spirit-free Cocktail—Everette Young of Daingerfields at the Westglow Spa, Blowing Rock
2026 NCRLA Dairy Does More Award for Best Savory Dish—Chef Matt Hannon of Ashten’s, Southern Pines
2026 NCRLA Dairy Does More Award for Best Dessert—Pastry Chef Makala Beaver of King Neptune, Wrightsville Beach
2026 NCRLA Dairy Does More Award for Best Cocktail—Zach Benson of Supperland, Charlotte
2026 NCRLA Dairy Does More Award for Best Spirit-Free Cocktail—Ashley Sarkis of Yunta Nikkei, Charlotte