On Monday night, food-and-drink professionals from across North Carolina gathered in Durham for the Chef Showdown event, hosted by the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association. After 11 preliminary rounds and a pool of 83 entries, the finalists in three categories offered samples to win one of the top awards. Four Wilmington competitors were among them: mixologist Gus Bellavida from End of Days Distillery in Wilmington, pastry chef Gerald Hawkins Jr. of Beach Shop & Grill in Topsail Beach and The Country Club of Landfall, chef Mauricio Huarcaya of Gusto Peruano in Wilmington, and chef Nick Chavez of Dough House Pizza Co. (who also happens to be…

From outdoor adventures and historical site to vibrant local art scenes, there’s a seemingly endless amount of fun to be had throughout the state of Kentucky. Packed with iconic experiences like distillery tours and live horse racing, these six cities offer something for every type of traveler. Here are some of the best things to do and see in Danville, Georgetown, Shelby County, Maysville, Hopkinsville, and Franklin! Danville, KY For a Kentucky getaway filled with a bit of everything, Danville is the perfect destination to soak in history, sip bourbon, and enjoy delicious food pairings. Start your vacation by exploring…

On a Monday around 5 p.m., when a happy hour crowd would normally be gathered at the bar, Local Cue was quiet.Leah Vaughan had hoped to be serving alcohol again by the start of football season, but the longtime owner of the sports bar and restaurant hopes it will be come playoffs.Six weeks after ceasing all alcohol sales at Local Cue — due to what she said was a cost-prohibitive liquor liability insurance rate — Vaughan has applied for a new alcohol license and hopes to reinstate alcohol service as soon as it is approved, likely within the next four to six weeks.…

Back-to-school lunch hacks, Chez Omar profile: Good Day Today Packing a lunch this morning! Rosanna Scotto and Curt Menefee discuss their favorites as kids. Plus, a profile of Chez Omar in NYC! NEW YORK CITY – Good news for all students, breakfast, lunch and afterschool meals are free to all NYC public school students during the 2024-2025 school year.  Here’s what is being offered this year for students: Approved NYC snack list and beverages A preteen boy concentrating on smartphone with ear buds and bowls of snacks. (Photo by: Kurt Wittman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) There are a variety…

The votes are rolling in for the Times-Picayune’s inaugural dive bar bracket and it’s down to the final two: J&J’s Sports Lounge and Verret’s Lounge.These finalists were determined by you, our dive bar revelers, tallied after thousands of votes through successive rounds of our bracket. Below is a little background on the two finalists and our assessment of these stands. Voting in the poll closes Thursday at noon. J&J’s Sports Lounge (800 France St.; $4 well drinks) J & J’s Sports Lounge is a neighborhood bar that NOLA.com readers have named for one the best dive bars in New Orleans.…

Get more recipes, food news, and stories at wttw.com/food or by signing up for our Deep Dish newsletter.The Poklenkowski family’s life centered on Webster and Hoyne Avenues in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood in the 1950s. St. Hedwig’s church was (and still is) at the intersection, as was Ray’s, a neighborhood grocer where the owner Ray and his wife “would help children distinguish between cabbage and lettuce, as well as sort out change we carried in to pay,” as J. Poklenkowski recalls. Kids sent on an errand waited amongst the towering shelves of goods after passing lists from their mothers to the butcher,…

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In San Francisco’s Portola neighborhood, a free grocery store is making sure students don’t go hungry anymore.”Once we identify those families who are interested in accessing this resource they will be on a schedule. They will know when to come in it will be before school and after school,” said Tyson Fechter, Principal at MLK Jr. Middle School.Based on their income, more than 70% of families at MLK Jr. Middle School qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school believes over 300 families could benefit from the supermarket.MORE: Food access gets worse in this Bay Area…

Between casual neighborhood haunts and exclusive omakase-only restaurants, sushi is well-represented in Houston. Discerning chefs are lauded for optimizing their relationships with fishmongers from around the globe to ensure Houstonians are treated to the freshest of the fresh. And the creative liberties that many chefs take to produce dynamic menus, which break free from tradition, make eating sushi in Houston even more of a thrill. Whether it’s delicate pieces of sashimi or tightly packed maki rolled to perfection, consider this list of the top sushi restaurants in Houston. Katami Katami Montrose Katami is the impressive new follow-up to Kata Robata,…

Fast food can take out a lot of the work that comes with planning a full meal, but just because a fast-food restaurant may be a convenient and often more cost-effective option doesn’t mean you have to compromise on flavor or a meal that packs a punch. Using reviews, awards and accolades as well as first-hand experience, LoveFood compiled a list of the restaurant in each state that serves the best fast food, from “fabulous no-frills food trucks [to] hole-in-the-wall gems, and mom-and-pop restaurants.” According to the site, the best fast-food restaurant in all of North Carolina is Sunrise Biscuit…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2024) — Among funnel cakes, Ferris wheels and award-winning pumpkins, visitors to the Kentucky State Fair found the University of Kentucky. The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) hosted an educational exhibit in AgLand, while UK Cooperative Extension Service personnel were involved in 4-H Cloverville, running livestock shows, judging competitions and more. “We have a strong relationship with the Kentucky State Fair Board and Kentucky Venues in making the state fair happen,” said Rachel Guidugli, assistant extension director for Kentucky 4-H youth development. “All of our extension agents have a state fair assignment.” In addition to…