Chef Jimmy Crippen, owner of Crippen's Country Inn and Restaurant in Blowing Rock, has brought his Iron Chef-style cooking competition to the Triangle starting June 11.

Crippen is the force behind the annual Fire on the Rock competition, which started seven years ago in Blowing Rock. This year, Crippen teamed up with the N.C. Department of Agriculture's Got to Be N.C. campaign to take the competition statewide. So now there are four contests across the state: Fire on the Rock in Blowing Rock, Fire on the Dock in Wrightsville Beach, Fire in the Triangle in Raleigh and Fire in the Triad in Greensboro.

Sixteen chefs have signed up for the Triangle contest starting June 11 with Four Square's Shane Ingram going up against The Twisted Fork's Adam Jones. The complete list of pairings was announced today at a press conference in North Raleigh.

Here's how it works: Two chefs with the help of two sous chefs each prepare three courses for about 100 people using a secret N.C. ingredient that is only revealed on the day of the competition. The chefs, whose cell phones are confiscated, have about six hours to plan their menus and cook their courses. That evening, the diners and a panel of guest judges will choose the winning dishes, not knowing which chef cooked which course. The winning chef moves onto the next round. The overall winner takes home $2,000, while the runner-up wins $500.

The public can buy tickets to the dinners. The cost is $49 excluding beverage, tax and tip for the preliminary rounds, and $59 for the semifinal and final rounds. Go HERE to purchase tickets. All events start at 6:30 p.m. at Rocky Top Hospitality's catering event space, 1705 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh, which is the original Michael Dean's location.

The preliminary contests are these:

• June 11: Shane Ingram of Four Square in Durham vs. Adam Jones of The Twisted Fork in Raleigh. 
• June 12: Adam Rose of Il Palio in Chapel Hill vs. Josh DeCarolis of Jujube in Chapel Hill.
• June 13: Ryan Payne of Weathervane at Southern Season in Chapel Hill vs. Chris Harris of Fork and Barrel in Raleigh.
• June 18: Scott James of The Midtown Grille in Raleigh vs. Matthew Hannon of Ashten's Restaurant & Pub in Southern Pines.
• June 19: John Childers of Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary vs. Chad McIntyre of Market Restaurant in Raleigh.
• June 20: Reto von Weissenfluh of Mia Francesca Trattoria in Raleigh vs. Serge Falcoz-Vigne of 518 West Italian Café in Raleigh.
• June 25: Michael Lee of Sono in Raleigh vs. Dean Wendel of Flights at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel.
• June 26: Christopher Hill of The Oxford in Raleigh vs. Jimmy Reale of Chapel Hill Country Club in Chapel Hill.

The quarterfinals will be July 9-10 and July 16-17. The semifinals will be July 23-24. The final competition will be July 31.

A portion of  ticket sales will be donated to N.C.'s Office of the State Fire Marshal to support local fire fighters because cooking is the number one cause of house fires.

Steven Devereaux Greene has been named executive chef of An restaurant in Cary.

Greene has spent the last several years working at Herons, the restaurant at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary. An and the Cary hotel are owned by Jim and Ann Goodnight. Jim Goodnight is co-founder and CEO of SAS, a nearby business analytics and software company..

Greene had previously worked as chef de cuisine at The Dining Room at The Woodlands Inn & Resort in Summerville, S.C., under renowned chef Ken Vedrinski, who had spent a number of years at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Greene incorporated the Asian fusion lessons he learned from Vedrinski into the menu at his namesake restaurant, Devereaux's in Greenville, S.C. before he moved to the Triangle to work at Herons. 

Michael Chuong was the original executive chef at An but left last month. (Go HERE to read my earlier blog post about his departure.) No word yet on his next enterprise.

For Valentine's Day, restaurants usually unveil a prix fixe menu or special offerings in addition to their regular menu. If a nice meal out isn't your thing, here's my list of other Valentine's Day activities, including cooking classes and chocolate tastings.

Here are a few dinner options that I spotted in my inbox or online:

• Durham's West 94th Street Pub is offering a four-course meal Friday through Valentine's Day and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Dinner costs $25 per person or $35 per person with beer or wine.
• There will be a Valentine's Day Food Truck Rodeo and Fundraiser in Carrboro from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday. See my earlier post for details.
• The Point in Raleigh's Five Points neighborhood is offering a three-course menu for $40 a person. Go HERE to see the menu. (Scroll down a bit to see it.) They are offering that menu on Friday, Saturday and Valentine's Day.
• Tribeca Tavern in North Raleigh and Cary is offering a three-course meal for $50 per couple or a la carte off their special menu. Go HERE to see it.
• Twisted Fork, also in North Raleigh, also is offering a special Valentine's menu.
• Cary's Coffee and Crepes is offering a Valentine's special: a strawberry and nutella crepe. As the owner Terri Pastrana says, "Pair it with a hot mocha latte and you have a smiling date that won't break the bank."
• Raleigh's 42nd Street Oyster Bar is offering a three-course menu for 2 for $65. Go HERE to see the menu.
• bu.ku in Raleigh is offering a special three-course menu that is $75 per couple. The special starts Friday and runs through Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Jibarra in Raleigh is offering a three-course meal and a margarita for $49. Plus, they will be offering some other specialty cocktails for the occasion. Go HERE to see a menu.
• The Angus Barn in Raleigh is offering a four-course meal on Saturday for $95 with live music and dancing in the pavilion after dinner. Go HERE for details.
• Daniel's in Apex is offering an Almost Valentine's wine dinner on Thursday offering five courses for $75. Go HERE and click on Wine Dinner for details. Daniel's is also offering a special Valentine's Day menu, including lobster bolognese for $22.
• The Matthews House in Cary is offering dinner and dancing from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday. It costs $50 per person. Plus, one lucky couple will win a night in the honeymoon suite. Call 467-1944 for more details and reservations.
• Herons at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary is offering a five-course tasting menu for $85. You can get wine pairings for an additional $35. You can take your date for this special meal on Friday, Sunday, Monday, Feb. 13 and then Feb. 15-Feb. 18. Call 447-4000 for a reservation.
• La Residence in Chapel Hill is offering a three-course meal for $49 or a four-course meal for $65 on Valentine's Day. Call 967-2506 for a reservation.
• Taste Carolina is offering walking tours in Durham and Raleigh on Valentine's Day. Tickets cost $62.50.
• Dos Perros in Durham has posted its Valentine's Day menu, which it will be offering in addition to its regular menu. I'm most intrigued by this drink, which could stand in for dessert: Mexican Affogato, a Mezcal-spiked coffee poured over mole ice cream with house-candied orange peel. 
• Its sister restaurant in Chapel Hill, Jujube also has posted its Valentine's Day menu.
• The Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham is offering a five-course meal for $65. Go HERE for details.
• The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill has a series of dining and overnight stay packages starting at $129. Go HERE to see their offerings. UPDATE: If you just want to dine at the Carolina Crossroads restaurant, there is a special four-course meal with champagne and a rose for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day for $75 per person. On Feb. 11-13, you can enjoy a four-course meal with champagne for $65 per person. Call 918-2735 for a reservation. 
• Il Palio at The Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill is offering a five-course meal for $95. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Chef Chip Smith, formerly of Bonne Soiree, is now cooking at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City. They are offering a Valentine's Day menu on Saturday, Sunday and Valentine's Day. Call 742-5176 for details.
• Watts Grocery in Durham is offering a three-course meal for $50. Go HERE to see the menu.
• Foster's Markets in Durham and Chapel Hill are offering a three-course take out meal for two for $75. You must place your order by Saturday to pick up on Valentine's Day. Go HERE to see the menu.

If you would like your restaurant added to this list, please send an email to aweigl@newsobserver.com and put "Valentine's Menu" in the subject line.

Photo by Staff photographer Juli Leonard

David Fowle, 48, will be a familiar face to many longtime downtown Raleigh office workers who used to frequent his coffee shop at the Sheraton. All told, Fowle sold coffee in downtown Raleigh for nine years from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.

After several years away, Fowle has opened the Wilmoore Cafe at 223 S. Wilmington St., next door to the Busy Bee Cafe. They opened six weeks ago. So I checked in with Fowle to learn about his life in the coffee business and return to downtown.

Click READ MORE to see the entire post.

The James Beard Foundation announces its award finalists starting at 2 p.m. today, and seven Triangle chefs will learn if they made the cut.

Among the semifinalists for Best Chef in the Southeast are Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill; Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner in Raleigh; Aaron Vandemark of Panciuto in Hillsborough; Chip Smith of Bonne Soiree in Chapel Hill; Scott Crawford of Herons at the Umstead Hotel in Cary; Scott Howell of Nana's in Durham; and Shane Ingram of Four Square Restaurant in Durham.

Durham's Magnolia Grill also is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category. Its chef-owners Ben and Karen Barker are the state's only James Beard award-winning chefs.

James Beard was a cookbook author, cooking instructor and champion of regional American cuisine. The foundation  honors excellence in restaurants, chefs, wine service professionals, cookbook authors and food journalism.

To follow the announcement live, follow @beardfoundation and #jbfa on Twitter.

The list of James Beard Foundation semifinalists came out today and seven local chefs are on the list for Best Chef Southeast:

• Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner of Raleigh
• Andrea Reusing, Lantern of Chapel Hill
• Chip Smith, Bonne Soiree in Chapel Hill
• Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto in Hillsborough
• Scott Crawford, Herons at Umstead Hotel in Cary
• Scott Howell, Nana's in Durham
• Shane Ingram, Four Square in Durham

"Nice! When it rains, it pours," said Vandemark, a first-time semifinalist who yesterday learned he was in the running for Food & Wine magazine's People's Choice Best New Chef 2011. (To read about that nomination and to vote for Vandemark, click HERE.)

Smith who has been named as a semifinalist several times before said he tries not to get too worked up about it. "We're just honored to be given a nod," he said.

Several of these chefs have been semifinalists before. This is Christensen's second year. Howell has been a semifinalist many times before. And last year Reusing (pictured left) progressed to finalist, as well as Bill Smith of Crook's Corner, but they lost to Sean Brock of McCrady's in Charleston, S.C.

Two other North Carolina chefs are semifinalists: Keith Rhodes of Catch in Wilmington and John Fleer of Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley in Cashiers, N.C. That means North Carolina chefs made up almost half of the Southeast semifinalists.

The only other North Carolina semifinalist is Eric Solomon of European Cellars in Charlotte for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional.

These chefs and Solomon will learn on March 21 if they are among the five finalists in their categories. The winners will be announced May 9 at a gala in New York City.

Durham's Magnolia Grill also was nominated in the Outstanding Resturant category. Its chef-owners Ben and Karen Barker are the state's only James Beard award-winning chefs.

James Beard was a cookbook author, a cooking instructor and a champion of regional American cuisine. The Foundation, founded after his death, honors excellence in restaurants, chefs, pastry chefs, wine service professionals, cookbook authors and food journalism. The awards have often been described as the "Oscars of the food world."

Just a reminder that Herons in Cary is celebrating its reopening with a guest chef five-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27.

The guest chefs include Curtis Duffy, chef de cuisine of Avenues at The Peninsula Chicago and Claudio Aprile of Colborne Lane in Toronto.

It costs $145 per person. Call 447-4050 to make a reservation.

I have so many special dinners to mention that they get a meta-post:

• Raleigh's Zely & Ritz is offering a four-course dinner featuring Fullsteam Brewery at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13. The menu includes goat cheese with apple salad, candied pecans and maple syrup paired with Rocket Science IPA. The cost is $49 per person. To make a reservation, call 828-0018.
• 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, the monthly Sunday dinner at The Inn at Celebrity Dairy in Chatham County. The featured chef is Gwen Higgins from the Aurora Restaurant in Chapel Hill. The dishes include goat cheese salad with walnuts, olives, marinated cherry tomates and balsamic vinaigrette and grilled American duck breast marinated with red wine ginger garlic served with a Chianti cranberry sauce. Dinner costs $75 a person. For more information, go HERE. Call 742-5176.
• At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, Chapel Hill's Pazzo is offering a four-course dinner featuring Vietti wines and winemaker Luca Currado. The menu includes chilled Maine lobster and baby arugula salad with blood orange vinaigrette and lamb tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto with mashed potatoes and baby vegetables in a Barolo-roasted garlic jus. Dinner costs $85. Call 968-1884.
• Herons in Cary is celebrating its reopening with a guest chef five-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27. The guest chefs include Curtis Duffy, chef de cuisine of Avenues at The Peninsula Chicago and Claudio Aprile of Colborne Lane in Toronto. It costs $145 per person. Call 447-4050 to make a reservation.

I'm back after the three-day holiday weekend and I've got a bunch of events to mention:

• Elaine's on Franklin in Chapel Hill is offering a special Peregrine Farm dinner menu Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. The cost is $45 for five pepper-inspired courses including chili relleno with local goat cheese, black beans, cotija, cilantro and salsa verde and for dessert, lemon-verbena and jalapeno sorbet. For reservations, call 960-2770.
• Sherri Brooks Vinton, author of "Put 'Em Up!," will be at Flyleaf Books in Chapel HIll tonight at 7 p.m. and teaching a class at A Southern Season at 6 p.m. Wednesday. If you wanted to learn more about canning and preserving, this is your opportunity. If you want to sign up for the class, call 929-7133. The class costs $35.
• Herons at the Umstead Hotel in Cary reopens today after an extensive kitchen renovation. They will start serving lunch and breakfast today, and dinner Thursday.
• Dos Perros hosts the occasional movie night in its private room. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, they are showing "Like Water for Chocolate," and chef Charlie Deal will be serving up five courses.The meal costs $30. Call 956-2750 for a reservation.
• If you don't want to watch the movie, Dos Perros is hosting a five-course beer dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday featuring brews from Stone Brewery. It costs $45. Call 956-2750 for a reservation.
• The Old Granary at Fearrington is hosting a three course beer dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday featuring beers from Carolina Brewing. The cost is $45. Call 542-2121 for a reservation.

REMINDER: On Thursday nights at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, the hotel's Herons restaurant offer wine tastings and food pairings on the terrace.

From 5:30-7:30 Thursday nights until Sept. 23, diners can enjoy wine flights for $15, food pairings for $12 and live music.

No reservations required. If it rains, tastings move into the bar area.