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.