“I’m humbled and overjoyed to be recognized,” emphasizes Prieto. … “I’ve dedicated my life to the craft of barbecue, and through it, have found so many meaningful ways to serve my Knightdale community and tell my story. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our work here at Prime Barbecue—and the craft of barbecue—appreciated by our peers.”
After less than a year on the scene, DTR’s Figulina also earned the honor of Best New Restaurant semifinalist at the hands of former Poole’s chef de cuisine David Ellis and wife/co-owner Sam.
“We never imagined receiving this kind of recognition in our first year,” says Ellis, who learned about the nod in a barrage of texts and calls. “I’m incredibly proud of our amazing team whose passion and dedication make Figulina what it is. This honor truly means the world to us, and we’re so grateful to see our work resonate with others—not to mention the inspiring company we’re listed among.”
While Crawford has been named a JBFA semifinalist five times, the significance of the honor hasn’t waned. “When I was a young cook struggling with addiction, I never imagined in my wildest dreams this could be possible,” he says. “Today’s recognition as Outstanding Restaurateur speaks to the power of sobriety and perseverance.” Congrats to all the winners! See below for all the NC nods, and find the full 2025 list here.
“What an incredible feeling! To have brought the cuisine of our homeland to a place I’ve never been and been so quickly embraced and celebrated—it is beyond words. I’m deeply grateful for the love and support from Raleigh and the James Beard Foundation!”
Unless you’re taking a summer social media/news siesta, you’ve no doubt heard chef Ricky Moore of Durham’s Saltbox Seafood Joint brought home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast—and what a huge honor for him, the Triangle… and fishermen. Echoing that sentiment was Moore himself as he took stage to accept the culinary world’s highest regional honor: “Bull City, North Carolina! I opened up a place that celebrates North Carolina seafood, so I’m going to shout out North Carolina fisher folk—mean[ing] fishermen and women.” So if you haven’t been to SSJ in a while—or ever—use this summer as an excuse to feast on what foodies near and far have been raving about, from the myriad fried or spice-griddled seafood options (which vary based on what’s been caught by NC fishermen that day) to Moore’s signature Hush-Honeys, aka fried cornmeal fritters glazed with honey (and, yes, you’re gonna want a lot of those). What could be more perfect than fresh-caught North Carolina seafood in the summertime? We’re calling it: It’s o-fish-ally Saltbox season. saltboxseafoodjoint.com
WEB EXCLUSIVE Like in any community, food is an extremely significant part of African American culture. But while soul food may be the one thing that comes to mind, there’s way more to Black cuisine than just that (though soul food is certainly an important aspect of Black heritage), and chef-owner Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint proves it.
In honor of African Heritage Month, Moore will be featuring a special dish that originated and was influenced by Black culture every Wednesday in February—specifically foods that speak to the global African influence on food culture in the Americas and not just the United States.
Saltbox Seafood Joint chef-owner Ricky Moore
“I chose dishes that I’ve eaten in the regions where they originated and experienced them prepared by someone’s native hands and that I’ve also made myself,” Moore says. “I’ve chosen seafood dishes specifically—Saltbox Seafood Joint celebrates the fish and seafood of the North Carolina coast, so I wanted to stay within those boundaries.”
The dinner series allows Moore to preserve these dishes that are so important and meaningful to him while educating the community on Black cuisine and introducing them to delicious cuisine throughout the month.
Yesterday, Moore’s featured dish was fried catfish and spaghetti, an unlikely soul food combination that originated in the Mississippi Delta and is now mostly predominant in the Deep South and Midwest.
Moore discovered the dish while he was living in Chicago; his take involves flavoring the spaghetti with similar ingredients to those found in dirty rice, using the “holy trinity” aromatic base of onion, green pepper and celery. Moore also notes that, traditionally, the spaghetti is overcooked, but his is cooked properly—of course.
Moore’s fried catfish and spaghetti
On Feb. 10, Moore will feature bake and shark, a popular Trinidadian pocket sandwich commonly found at beach shacks and street stalls. Moore’s will be stuffed with local North Carolina smooth dog shark or dogfish, lettuce, tomato, slices of starred pineapple, a spicy cilantro cilantro sauce and tangy tamarind.
Haitian legumes and shellfish, a stew-like dish made with braised vegetables and shellfish, will be available on Feb. 17. Moore will incorporate a variety of local seafood into the dish, including crab, local clams, whitefish bones, shrimp and other local fish, and serve it on Tidewater Grain rice, an heirloom Carolina gold rice that’s produced in Eastern North Carolina
Lastly, on Feb. 24, Moqueca Baiana, an aromatic Brazilian fish stew, takes center stage. The dish is influenced by cooking habits of the African culture in Brazil and is made flavorful with garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, salt, olive oil, dendê oil (an ingredient indigenous to Africa that’s commonly used for frying and imparting a dark dark reddish color to dishes) and rich coconut.
With the announcement of each featured dish, Moore will share additional details about the history behind them on Saltbox’s social media channels (@saltboxseafoodjoint). We hope you’re hungry for some seafood this month!
WEB EXCLUSIVE James Beard semifinalist chef Ricky Moore’s famous seafood is loved by many around the Triangle. Within his two nondescript Durham Saltbox Seafood Joint locations, Moore whips up some of the best fried fish, hushpuppies and seafood rolls—favorites include the shrimp roll, fried oyster roll and spicy mahi roll—away from the coast.
On August 26, Moore received a $25,000 award from credit card company Discover as part of its #EatItForward social media campaign, which began in July in an effort to celebrate Black-owned businesses and provide them with financial relief following the COVID-19 shutdown. Rather than having restaurants apply for the funds themselves, patrons nominate them through Discover’s social media platforms.
“We are incredibly grateful to Discover for recognizing Black-owned restaurants like ours during this challenging time,” says Moore. “Our community has always supported us passionately, and these last few months, we’ve especially felt the love, but there is no denying the uncertainty that still lies ahead during this pandemic and the impact this financial infusion will have on our short and long-term success.”
Photo by Briana Brough
Moore says it was always a dream of his to own his own business. As a chef, he worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world, including at Equinox in Washington D.C., Daniel in New York City and Apicius in Paris. Moore opened the original Saltbox Seafood Joint in Old Five Points in 2012, with the second location opening in 2017 in Rockwood. Now, Moore plans to invest the $25,000 award directly into his two prized restaurants, which have been open throughout the pandemic for take out, and now, dine in.
“I knew from a young age that owning my own business was the real path to success, and to be rewarded for that now further reaffirms all that hard work; it’s incredibly empowering,” Moore says. “It’s important that we continue this incredible momentum that Discover has begun, spreading the love and support to black-owned restaurateurs everywhere.”
As part of its #EatItForward campaign, Discover’s goal is to award a total of $5 million to 200 Black-owned restaurants across the country over the course of 17 weeks. Visit Discover’s Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to nominate the next winner.
