A hearty congratulations goes out to all of the area chefs named today to the 2014 Semifinalists list by the James Beard Foundation . Out of the 433 national nominees, 9 are in the Triangle area, joined by 3 others from the rest of North Carolina for a total of 12 in this state. No restaurants from Charlotte, the Triad, or Wilmington were nominated. Only 6 nominees went to each Virginia and South Carolina, while 11 went to Georgia. Austin, Texas? They got just 3.

The North Carolina-based nominees for 2014 are:

National Categories

• Outstanding Pastry Chef (20 nominations awarded): Phoebe Lawless, Scratch , Durham
• Outstanding Restaurant (20 nominations awarded): The Fearrington House Restaurant , Pittsboro
• Outstanding Restaurateur: Giorgios Bakatsias, Giorgios Hospitality Group , Durham (Kipos, Parizäde, Village Burgers, and others)
• Rising Star Chef of the Year: Katie Button, Cúrate , Asheville

Regional Categories

Best Chef: Southeast

• Colin Bedford, The Fearrington House Restaurant , Pittsboro
• Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Downtown Diner , Raleigh
• Scott Crawford, Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa , Cary
• Vivian Howard, Chef & the Farmer , Kinston
• Scott Howell, Nana’s , Durham
• Meherwan Irani, Chai Pani , Asheville
• Matt Kelly, Mateo , Durham
• Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto , Hillsborough

Honorable Mention

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Mike Klank and Eddie Hernandez, Taqueria del Sol , Atlanta
  (Taqueria del Sol has a location in Crossroads Plaza)

The 2014 James Beard Awards will be held in New York City on May 2 and 5.