Chef Ricky Moore, a New Bern native and former Top Chef contestant, has dipped in and out of the Triangle restaurant scene for several years. He has been the executive chef at Glasshalfull in Carrboro. He has run several kitchens for Triangle restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias. He taught cooking classes at the now-closed Bickett Market in Raleigh.

Moore has surfaced again. This time, he has opened a 250-square-foot seafood shack in Durham called Salt Box. He offers fresh seafood, spice griddled or fried, alone, on a sandwich or as a plate with two sides. It's takeout only.

Salt Box is located at 608 N. Mangum St. and is open noon-8 p.m. or until the fish runs out, Tues.-Sat. For more information, call 919-908-8970 or go to facebook.com/SaltboxSeafoodJoint.
 

Seven local chefs will compete Feb. 25 for the title of shrimp and grits champion in the first ever Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chefs' Throwdown.

The event at The Carolina Inn is open to the public who will vote for the fan favorite. It costs $15 to attend the event, which is from 1-4 p.m.

The participating chefs include: Jeremy Blankenship of Tyler's Taproom; Trey Cleveland of Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery; Adam Cobb of Glasshalfull; Bret Jennings of Elaine's on Franklin; Vimala Rajendran of Vimala's Curryblossom Café; Jimmy Reale of Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and Bar; and Adam Rose of Il Palio at the Siena Hotel.

For more information and tickets, go to www.CarolinaInnThrowdown.com.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit TABLE, a nonprofit aimed at helping children at risk of hunger.

Here are two upcoming wine dinners at Four Square Restaurant and Glasshalfull:

• Glasshalfull in Carrboro has teamed up with Core Sound Seafood to offer a four-course meal at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3. The courses include lightly cured and smoked sea trout with green apple and horseradish puree and Serrano ham followed by Atlantic fluke, smoked cauliflower puree, baby turnips, watercress and lemon froth. It costs $85 with wine, $65 without wine. For a reservation, call 967-9784.
• Durham's Four Square Restaurant is offering a five-course dinner featuring the wines of the Stolpman Estate at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6. The courses include crispy oysters with lardo and smoked vanilla as well as raw oysters with heirloom pear and bay leaf mignonette. This course sounds intriguing: pumpkin carpaccio, oxtail croutons, red wine paw paw sorbet, petite herbs and lettuces. The dinner costs $85. Call 401-9877 for a reservation.

REMINDER: Chef Ricky Moore will cooking tonight at Carrboro Farmer's Market  to kick off  the market's first culinary series. 

Once a month at a Wednesday afternoon market, a chef will show consumers how to cook a familiar seasonal ingredient. Moore's challenge: chard.

Moore, a former Iron Chef contestant, now works at Giorgio restaurant in Cary but used to work at Glasshalfull in Carrboro. 

The Wednesday market is 3:30-6:30 p.m. 

Chef Ricky Moore will helping the Carrboro Farmer's Market kick off its Wednesday market season on April 14 with the market's first culinary series. 

Once a month at a Wednesday afternoon market, a chef will show consumers how to cook a familiar seasonal ingredient. Moore's challenge: chard. 

"Chard is an ingredient that many people feel they know how to cook already, but there are many ways to cook and eat this beautiful green," Moore said in a press release. "We're looking forward to having some fun and creating some good food with this event." 

Moore, a former Iron Chef contestant, now works at Giorgio restaurant in Cary but used to work at Glasshalfull in Carrboro. 

The Wednesday market is 3:30-6:30 p.m. 

There are several interesting events coming up at the Carrboro Farmers' Market:

This Saturday, a seed saving workshop will occur in the gazebo. You can learn when to harvest, what tools to use, what seeds to save and go home with free packets of seeds.