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.]

There are still seats available for chef Ashley Christensen's Stir the Pot dinner at Poole's Diner, featuring guest chef Ed Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky.

At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Christensen and Lee will cook a multi-course dinner at her restaurant, Poole's Diner. Tickets cost $150. Call 832-4477 for a reservation.

Proceeds benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit based at the University of Mississippi that documents and celebrates Southern food traditions.

The next Stir the Pot events include:

• Sept. 18 and 19, chef John Fleer, formerly of The Inn at Blackberry Farm, now of Canyon Kitchen in the North Carolina mountains.

• Jan. 29 and 30, chef Chris Hastings of the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Ala.

• May 20 and 21, chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta.

For more details about the events, go to www.stirthepotluck.com.
 

I share readers' tips and recipes for cooking on a hot summer day.

I talk to chef Ashley Christensen about what it was like behind the scenes at Iron Chef America.

Suzanne Havala Hobbs' On the Table column is about coconut milk.

Linda Gassenheimer's Quick Fix column is about jerk seasoning adding spice to dinner.

Kathleen Purvis answers your cooking questions: this time about raspberry cordial that gelled. Go HERE to read her answer. If you want a cooking question answered, send those queries to kpurvis@charlotteobserver.com.

We also share a Newsday story about how to make compound butter for your grilled steaks.

There are less than two weeks left to make reservations for chef Ashley Christensen's next Stir the Pot events, featuring guest chef Ed lee of  610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky.

At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14, Christensen and Lee will cook a multi-course dinner at her restaurant, Poole's Diner. Tickets cost $150. The next night, she hosts an industry potluck at her Raleigh home. Tickets have cost about $35. Call 832-4477 for a reservation to either event.

Proceeds benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit based at the University of Mississippi that documents and celebrates Southern food traditions.

UPDATE: The next Stir the Pot events will be: 

• Sept. 18 and 19, Chef John Fleer, formerly of The Inn at Blackberry Farm, now of Canyon Kitchen in the North Carolina mountains.
• Jan. 29 and 30, Chef Chris Hastings of the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Ala.
• May 20 and 21, Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta.

For more details about the events, go to www.stirthepotluck.com

Go HERE to read a profile I wrote of Christensen earlier this year.

Chef Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner  in Raleigh takes on Food Network star Bobby Flay in Sunday night's episode of Iron Chef America. Tune in at 10 p.m. on the Food Network. If you are on twitter, use the #slayflay hashtag.

Photo by Staff photographer Travis Long.

Go HERE to read a profile I wrote earlier this year about Christensen.

Photo by Staff Photographer Travis Long

Ashley Christensen, the chef-owner of Poole's Diner in downtown Raleigh, will battle Food Network star Bobby Flay on the July 24 episode of Iron Chef America.

That's according to Ashley's most recent tweet: "Hey hey hey... I battle Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America on July 24th. Perhaps the most surreal experience of my entire life. Stay tuned..."

When I can get Ashley on the phone and know more, I'll get it on the blog.

In the Triangle, there are only two chefs that I know of who have appeared on Iron Chef: Walter Royal of the Angus Barn in Raleigh and Ricky Moore, formerly of Glasshalful in Carrboro.

Go HERE to read my profile of Christensen earlier this year.

UPDATE: Go HERE to see the listing on the Food Network's website for the episode.

Two dates have been chosen for chef Ashley Christensen's Stir the Pot events, which are fundraising events for Southern Foodways Alliance.

Here's how they typically work: On Sunday night, Christensen hosts a guest chef at her restaurant, Poole's Diner, for a fancy dinner. Tickets usually cost about $150. The next night, she hosts an industry potluck at her Raleigh home. Tickets have cost about $35. Proceeds benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit based at the University of Mississippi that documents and celebrates Southern food traditions.

Tickets are not on sale yet. But mark your calendars for these days:

• July 17 and 18, Aug. 13 and 14, Chef Ed Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky.
• Sept. 18 and 19, Chef John Fleer, formerly of The Inn at Blackberry Farm, now of Canyon Kitchen in the North Carolina mountains.

I'll share more details as they become available or reservations are open.

Go HERE to read a profile I did about Christensen earlier this year.

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.

Go HERE to read the story.

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."