Raleigh chef Ashley Christensen is one of five finalists for a James Beard award: Best Chef in the Southeast. Go HERE to read the entire list.

Christensen is the only North Carolina chef to be a finalist. More than a dozen chefs, restaurants and beverage professionals with N.C. ties were among the semifinalists. Go HERE to see my earlier post.

Christensen is traveling today and so far has been unavailable for a reaction. Although she tweeted: "Pretty much in tears right now. Wow."

The other finalists include Edward Lee, Joseph Lenn, Steven Satterfield and Tandy Wilson.

Christensen owns Poole's Diner, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, Chucks and Fox Liquor Bar. She also recently took over the closed Wilmoore Cafe and has another restaurant project in the works. For information about her restaurants, go to ac-restaurants.com.

The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit that recognizes excellence among chefs, restaurants, food journalism and cookbook authors. James Beard was a cookbook author and champion of regional American food. The foundation was created after his death and now hands out what are considered the "Oscars" of the food world.

Raleigh chef Ashley Christensen has bought the Wilmoore Cafe, a coffeehouse and sandwich shop owned by David Fowle, a longtime fixture in the Raleigh coffee scene.

The Wilmoore Cafe will stay open until next Friday. Christensen says she will close the restaurant for about six weeks and reopen sometime in March. She plans to keep it as a coffee shop but expand the hours to seven days a week and into the evening. She will offer an expanded menu and a beer, wine and cocktail list. She plans to change the name.

"We're excited," Christensen said Tuesday morning.

Fowle, who owned a coffee shop downtown in the 1990s, explained that his expertise is serving coffee to the business crowd during the week. That business had grown steadily at the Wilmoore Cafe, Fowle said.

But Fowle said Tuesday: "Here's the rub: The property is too valuable to not do nights and weekends. I don't have the expertise, energy or bandwidth to do it properly."

But Christensen does, Fowle said.

"She recognizes what a jewel and potential jewel this place can be," he said.

The deal signed Monday happened organically. Commercial real estate agent Carter Worthy is Fowle's cousin and works with Christensen, who also rents space on the second floor of the building that is home to the Wilmoore Cafe. Christensen was looking at other downtown opportunities and Fowle and Worthy were discussing how to best expand the Wilmoore Cafe into nights and weekends.

"She made an offer we couldn't refuse," Fowle said.

With this purchase, Christensen expands her reach north along Wilmington Street. She already owns Chuck's, a burger joint, Beasley's Chicken + Honey, a fried chicken spot, and Fox Liquor Bar. All three are located in the same building at the corner of Wilmington and Martin streets in downtown Raleigh. She also owns Poole's Diner, a finer dining spot, on South McDowell St.

Fowle said he is going to enjoy his time off, take his teenage daughter on some college visits and then get a job.

(Get over there before next Friday to say goodbye to Fowle and be sure to buy one of his chocolate chip cookies. I consider them to be the best in the Triangle.)

UPDATE: Word is they open at 5 pm TODAY, Tuesday, Aug. 16th.

Chef Ashley Christensen of Raleigh's Poole's Diner plans to open her latest restaurant this week. At an invite-only event Friday at Beasley's Chicken + Honey, Christensen said she planned to open as early as TOMORROW, Tuesday, Aug. 16. So you might want to swing by the corner of South Wilmington and East Martin streets in downtown Raleigh to see if that has come true. (Disclaimer: Restaurant openings can be delayed. So be patient.)

Christensen added that she hoped to open Chuck's, the burger joint next door, about two weeks later and Fox Liquor Bar, the basement bar, during the weekend of the Hopscotch Music Festival from Sept. 8-11.

I attended Friday's menu tasting event. The fried chicken was moist and juicy. The macaroni-and-cheese was divine. It reminded me of potatoes Dauphinoise. There also was fresh sliced tomatoes, delicious collards and potato salad. Although I couldn't taste them, the desserts looked interesting. I'm so ready to go back again.

[Ethical disclaimer: The N&O requires me to pay for my food. I cannot accept free food at restaurants. So my technique when chefs I know send out free food and with this buffet of free food is to add money to the tip. We were charged a little more than $6 for my husband's beer and my tea. I added a $20 tip.]