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Heidi Billotto | HeidiBillottoFood.com | Food & Travel Writer

@heidibillotto

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Food & travel writer; local food advocate
Producer: @ncrlachefshowdown
Chefs, farms, food stories you’ll love
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It’s always have a great time talking about @ncrlachefshowdown events with our good friend @wralkensmith and this week was no exception.

Our own @heidibillotto and @allenmthomas I were on air in Raleigh on Tues July 21 to talk about the semifinal regional rounds of this year’s NCRLA Chef Showdown, sponsorsed in part by @gottobenc this is North Carolina’ s largest culinary and mixology competition, now in its 10th season.

As of July 2026, We’ve already completed five different rounds of preliminary culinary competition and two mixology preliminary rounds.

Mid July finds us in the middle of the regional semifinal rounds to determine the 15 chefs and 5 pastry chefs who will advance to the Sept 2 Grand Finale.

Then in August our 12 teams of Mixology semifinalist will compete in their own two rounds of regional competition to determine the 6 teams to advance to the Grand Finale.

The NCRLA Chef Showdown Grand Finale is the only NCRLA Chef Showdown event open to the public.

It all happens on Sept 2, 2026 at Bay 7 at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham NC

You get to taste the competition dishes and desserts, cocktails and zero-proof cocktails and vote for your People’s Choice Favorites.

Don’t miss it!! The link for Tickets is in the first comment below. taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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2 days ago

Hidden Gem Alert ( and a great way to start any day) in Charlotte NC • Breakfast at @greysdinerclt
Dine in the historic diner or the adjacent indoor or outdoor patio area and enjoy a taste of all things locally sourced and beautifully cursted by @chefsamdiminich and his crew… Don’t sleep on the @harmonyridgefarms eggs, a cup of @enderlycoffeeco and the not-to-be-missed overnight yeast waffles ( they come in a stack!)

And did I mention baked goods and desserts from chef @amstefaney ?

Go for breakfast but then go back for lunch and dinner, too! And while you are there, you’re going to want to order a Glizzy Dog for sure!
Don’t wait…. go Eat here now 😍 Tell Them Heidi Sent You!

Heidi Billotto is a culinary storyteller, educator, and on-air expert who brings local food to life wherever she goes. She connects small family farmers, independent producers, and regional makers to the people, plates, and media outlets that showcase their work, then shows her readers and followers how to bring those ingredients home to their own tables. Known for her deep relationships, genuine curiosity, joyful style, and sincere passion for all she does, Heidi elevates local food culture on the regular through cooking, teaching, travel, and media.
And whenever you see those five little words, #TellThemHeidiSentYou, know that they are my personal seal of approval. It means I have been there, I believe in the folks behind it, and I am sending you their way with my whole heart. So go on…
#TellThemHeidiSentYou taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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5 days ago

Hey, Market Family! Join us tomorrow, July 18th, for our Annual Nutrition Celebration from 8:00 am -12:30 pm.

There will be two dinner baskets curated by @heidibillotto , a local culinary expert. The baskets will be themed “Tomato Time” and “Picnic for Two.” Register for free at the Welcome Tent.

Be sure to stop by the Wake Forest Medical tent (next to the Welcome Tent) for a chance to win $5 shopping vouchers! taken in Uptown Charlotte, NC by @heidibillotto

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8 days ago

Morganton and Charlotte!

We're so happy to have too much of a good thing!

↪️Get any type of our tomatoes for 30% off when you buy a 10 pound box or more.
$3.50/lb ($5/lb for less than 10 lbs)

🔴Juicy red Marbone
🟣Flavorful purple Marnero
🔴Meaty Big Beef
🟡Yellow tropical Gin Fizz. 🟠

↪️No need to preorder- we have a great harvest this week.

🍅Morganton
Been missing our tomatoes, veggies, eggs, and pork?
🍅Friday 3-6pm, Tomato Market at the farm. Come on out! 4178 Bluebird Drive Morganton NC 28655
🥬Lettuce mix, peas, shoots, micro greens, carrots, bell peppers🍅

🍅 Saturday Charlotte Regional Farmers' Market 8-1pm as usual.🍅 Building A, partway down on the right
Look for our giant wooden farmstand.

🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅 by @heidibillotto

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9 days ago

Rest in Peace Sam Goff. We are heartbroken but will remember you well and with love 🩷

We are all here for Chef Steven Goff and his family after the unexpected and untimely passing of his wife Samantha “Sam” Goff, earlier this week.

Everyone loved Sam and all she brought to the world around us. Sam made us smile; she listened intently, cared deeply and worked harder than almost anyone we know.

We are all fortunate to have had her in our lives and will remember her kindness, her love for animals, her sweet, gentle caring manner, her thoughtfulness and the joy she brought to everyone and everything around her.

She is loved and will be beautifully remembered.
We will all miss her deeply

Celebration of Life services to be held on Wednesday July 15, 2026 at 2 pm at Groce
Funeral Home at 1401 Patton Ave. In Asheville, NC taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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13 days ago

How to find the perfect summer watermelon?

Food and travel writer @heidibillotto asks the experts at @sevensistersfarmnc at the @uptownfarmersmarket in Charlotte North Carolina!

Tell Them Heidi Sent You , they won’t steer you wrong taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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14 days ago

@heidibillotto here with a bit of a public service announcement…
Looking for a fun day trip and in the Triangle are of North Carolina? Get yourself over to @ranlewdairy for a sweet treat that only happens this time of year!!
😊🩷🫐🍦
Tell Them Heidi Sent You taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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14 days ago

While the Fourth of July weekend has come and gone, we have some fireworks of our own to share….
🍸 Meet your 2026 @ncrlachefshowdown Showdown Mixology Semifinalists!

Both preliminary rounds are in the books - one held at Merle’s in Wilkesboro NC and the other at The Hackney in Washington NC in Early and late June.

For this, our 10th season, 12 North Carolina teams have shaken and stirred their way into the semifinal regional rounds of our 2026 NCRLA Chef Showdown Mixology Competition.

Only six will advance to pour for the crowd at the September 2, 2026 Grand Finale in Durham NC .

Your 2026 Mixology finalists drop August 12 after the two semifinal rounds in August👏

But for now, let’s celebrate these semifinalist wins!! Raise a glass 🥂to all twelve of these 2026 Mixology Competition teams!

🍸 Matthew Barker | Cucciolo Famiglia +
🥃Liberty & Plenty, Durham

🍸Zach Benson | Supperland, Charlotte +
🥃Outer Banks Distilling, Manteo

🍸Margaret Boerner | Sovereign Remedies +
🥃Chemist Spirits, Asheville

🍸Greg Dreyer | Glasshouse Kitchen, Durham + 🥃 Sutlers Spirit, Winston-Salem

🍸Rebekah Huston | AC Hotel Raleigh +
🥃 End of Days Distillery, Wilmington

🍸Jordon Pino | Blue Door, Charlotte +
🥃 Oaklore Distilling, Matthews

🍸Jeremy Powers | The Hackney +
🥃 1000 Piers Gin Hackney Distillery, Washington

🍸Ashley Sarkis | Yunta Nikkei, Charlotte +
🥃Muddy River Distillery, Mount Holly

🍸Hanna Troedsson | Weldon Mills +
🥃 Weldon Mills Distillery, Durham

🍸Everette Young | Daingerfields at Westglow Spa, Blowing Rock +
🥃 Broadslab Distillery, Benson

🍸Ben Valle | Warehouse Distillery, Newton +
🥃Warehouse Distillery, Newton

🍸Sammie Wilford | Tamasha Modern Indian, Raleigh +
🥃 Mystic Farm & Distillery, Durham

🎟️ Grand Finale tickets on sale now. Link in bio or at NCChefShowdown.com taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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15 days ago

@heidibillotto here coming at you circa 1960 something! Pictured here with my brother Jaimie and someone else you might recognize.
🩷
Fun FAQ- Back in the day, my Dad owned one of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises and so this culinary icon came to visit us every once in a while
😊🩷🍗

Hope everyone had a Happy National Fried Chicken Day this week!! taken in United States by @heidibillotto

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17 days ago

@heidibillotto coming at you this Saturday from the @davidsonfarmersmkt just North of Charlotte.
What a great place to shop local with shout outs this day to @barbee_farms @hawkandsparrowflowers @yourmoms_donuts and @bleubarnnc

#ShopLocal #TellThemHeidiSentYou taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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21 days ago

We try to do a Judges’ Table reel at each round of @ncrlachefshowdown competition, to check in , get our Judges impressions of the day and catch up with all that is going on.

This reel features Chefs and Judges @chefmarkallison @adecarrena and Justin Fry @jfry0122 of @jf_chocolat all judges at our Pinehurst prelim round of competition at @sandhillsculinaryandpastryarts @sandhillscc

After talking to chefs and sampling great dishes all day sometimes you need a little break… justin brought @heidibillotto some of her favorite chocolate covered cherries ( made with @muddyriverdistillery spiced rum and at the end of the day, she shared to goods with the panel… keep watching the reel to see what they thought. taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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22 days ago

102 competitors. 11 rounds. 10 years.
🔥
Can you believe 2026 marks the 10th year of the @gottobenc NCRLA Chef Showdown?! We’re celebrating!!
🎉
Before we move forward with the 2026 semifinal rounds, let’s take a look back at how it all started.

It was back in 2016 with a phone call and a big idea. Now, Executive Producer of the annual event, food & travel writer @heidibillotto , was originally tapped to create a one-night chef competition to cap off an NCRLA conference in Raleigh. That first night lit a spark.
🔥
A decade later, the annual event is on fire! It has grown by leaps and bounds into the largest culinary and mixology competition in the state of North Carolina, and the only one that gives back directly to the state’s hospitality industry.

This year the 2026 season of @ncrlachefshowdown kicked off with 102 competitors, the largest field ever, from chefs and pastry chefs to mixologists and distilleries in every corner of the state.

Find the full story on Heidi’s website at HeidiBillottoFood.com : how the @ncrlachefshowdown started, where it is now, and everything still to come this season, right through the open-to-the-public Grand Finale on September 2 at Bay 7 in Durham.

🎟️ Tickets for the Sept 2 event are on sale now at NCChefShowdown .com 🎟️ Links to make your reservations now are in the article - Don’t Miss It!!

Read it all on HeidiBillottoFood.com taken in North Carolina by @heidibillotto

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24 days ago