The semifinalists for the annual James Beard Foundation awards were announced this morning. Among the North Carolina folks recognized:

• Sean Lilly Wilson, Fullsteam Brewery in Durham and Eric Solomon of Eric Solomon Selections European Cellars in Charlotte for outstanding wine and spirits professional.
• Katie Button of Cúrate in Asheville for Rising Star Chef.
• And among those considered for Best Chef Southeast: Ashley Christensen of Poole's in Raleigh; John Fleer of Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley in Cashiers; Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston; Scott Howell of Nana's in Durham; and Aaron Vandemark of Panciuto in Hillsborough. 
• Magnolia Grill in Durham for Outstanding Restaurant.

The James Beard awards are considered the Oscars of the food world. Only three North Carolina chefs have received James Beard awards: Ben Barker and Karen Barker at Magnolia Grill and Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill.

The finalists will be announced 11 a.m. March 19. The winners will be announced May 7 at a gala in New York City.

In case you missed my profile of chef Andrea Reusing that ran Labor Day weekend, go HERE to read it.

Chef Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill's Lantern Restaurant was named the Best Chef of the Southeast Monday night at the James Beard Foundation's annual awards gala.

Reusing, 42, is only the third chef in North Carolina to win a James Beard award. From the stage Monday, she thanked her husband, Mac McCaughan, a singer and guitarist in the rock band Superchunk and co-founder of Merge Records, based in Durham Chapel Hill. And she joked about her decision to wear high heeled shoes: "You can tell I'm surprised to win by my shoe choice - not the most practical for climbing [to the] stage."

Reusing appeared on the Triangle's culinary scene in 1999 when she became the chef at the now closed Enoteca Vin in Raleigh. She was known for her seasonal cuisine and use of ingredients from local farmers. In 2002, she and her brother Brendan Reusing opened Lantern, which focused on using local ingredients to produce Asian-influenced dishes. In 2006, the new defunct Gourmet magazine named Lantern as one of the top 50 restaurants in the country. In 2009, Greg Cox, restaurant critic for The News & Observer, named Lantern as the Triangle's restaurant of the year.

Reusing also just published her first cookbook: "Cooking in the Moment." 

The state's two other James Beard award winners are the husband-wife chef owners of Magnolia Grill in Durham: Ben and Karen Barker.

James Beard was a cookbook author, cooking instructor and food writer known for his championing of America's regional cuisine. After his death in 1985, friends founded the foundation in his name to honor chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, cookbook authors and food journalists. The annual awards are often described as the Oscars of the food world.
 

Chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill has a new book out: "Cooking in the Moment." It's not a restaurant book. It's more about her life outside the restaurant kitchen as a mother of two and a career woman. The recipes are very approachable. Here are her upcoming book events:

• 2 p.m. Saturday, Flyleaf Books, 752 Martin Luther King Blvd., Chapel Hill
• 7:30 p.m. April 14, Quail Ridge Books, 3522 Wade Ave., Raleigh
• 11 a.m. April 16, McIntyre's Books, 2000 Fearrington Village, Pittsboro
• 7 p.m. April 19, Country Bookshop, 140 Northwest Broad St., Southern Pines
• 7 p.m. April 22, Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St., Durham
• UPDATED EVENT: 1:30 p.m. April 23, book signing at A Southern Season, University Mall, Chapel Hill.

Check out my interview with Reusing in Wednesday's paper.

Chapel Hill chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern is a finalist again for the James Beard Foundation's best chef in the southeast award.

The James Beard awards are often compared to the Oscars of the food world. The other finalists include Hugh Acheson of Five & Ten in Athens, Ga.; Craig Deihl of Cypress in Charleston, S.C.; John Fleer of Canyon Kitchen in Cashiers, N.C.; and Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky.

The winners will be announced May 9 at a gala at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

This is Reusing's second year as a finalist.

In 1999, Reusing, 42, became the chef at the now closed Enoteca Vin in Raleigh. She was known for her seasonal cuisine and use of ingredients from local farmers. In 2002, she and her brother Brendan Reusing opened Lantern, which focused on using local ingredients to produce Asian-influenced dishes. In 2006, the new defunct Gourmet magazine named Lantern as one of the top 50 restaurants in the country. In 2009, Greg Cox, restaurant critic for The News & Observer, named Lantern as the Triangle’s restaurant of the year.

Reusing also just published her first cookbook: “Cooking in the Moment,” a cookbook devoted to seasonal cooking that will be available for sale starting April 5.
 

Reusing was among seven Triangle chefs who were among this year's semifinalists, the largest regional contingent among the 20 semifinalists. Those included 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 in Durham.

James Beard was a cooking instructor and cookbook author who championed regional American cuisine. After his death in 1985, the foundation was created to honor excellence in restaurants, chefs, wine service professionals, cookbook authors and food journalism.

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.

Ryan McGuire, culinary trainer for Chapel Hill Elementary Schools, will be serving up green rice, eggs and ham at the Carrboro Farmers' Market starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

The recipe developed by McGuire and chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern is a semi-finalist in a Recipes for Healthy Kids contest. Culbreth Middle School could win money if the recipe is voted to be the best. Go HERE to vote.

Or head to the market tomorrow for a taste and decide if the recipe is worth your vote.
 

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."

Former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni will be the special guest at a lunch at noon Friday at Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill.

The lunch at noon Friday costs $60 a person. The menu includes chestnuts, Nassawadox oysters, persimmons, acorn-fed pork and sweet white shrimp from the Pamlico Sound.

To make a reservation, call 966-4410.

Don't forget: Fearrington House is hosting a reception  followed by two panels on publishing tomorrow night. The event coincides with Kim Sunee's Floating Island Writers' Workshop in Chapel Hill.

There will be a cocktail reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12 before the two publishing panels. The reception costs $35. For tickets, go to http://mcintyresbooks.eventbrite.com

The panels, one starts at 5:30 p.m and the other starts at 6:30 p.m., include these speakers: Sunee, Frances Mayes, auther of "Under the Tuscan Sun"; Sara Foster, cookbook author and owner of Foster's Market, Sheri Castle, a cooking instructor with a forthcoming cookbook, "The New Southern Garden Cookbook";  Rica Allannic, cookbook editor for Clarkson Potter who worked with chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern on her forthcoming cookbook; Reusing; Lynn Andriani, a senior editor at Publishers' Weekly; and me, as food writer for the N&O and a member of the James Beard Foundation book awards committee.