The James Beard Foundation's list of restaurant and chef award semifinalists was just released and there was a strong showing from the Triangle and the entire state.

• Durham's Mateo Tapas is a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant.
• Phoebe Lawless of Scratch Bakery in Durham is a semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef.
• Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill is a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant. (Owner and chef Andrea Reusing won a James Beard award for Best Chef Southeast in 2011.)
• Angus Barn in Raleigh is a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program.
• Sean Lilly Wilson of Durham's Fullsteam brewery and Eric Solomon of European Cellars in Charlotte are semifinalists for outstanding wine, spirits or beer professional.
• Katie Button of Curate in Asheville is a semifinalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year.
• The semifinalists for Best Chef Southeast are Ashley Christensen of Raleigh's Poole's Diner among other restaurants; Scott Crawford of Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary; Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston; Scott Howell of Nana's in Durham, Elliot Moss of The Admiral in Asheville; and Aaron Vandemark of Panciuto in Hillsborough.

To see the list of all the semifinalist nominees, go to jamesbeard.org/awards

The semifinalist nominees will be narrowed to finalists and those will be announced March 18 at a press conference in Charleston, S.C. The winner will be announced May 6 at a gala reception in New York City.

This how the awards work: The foundation puts out a call for nominations in the fall and this year more than 44,000 entries were received. A committee narrows the entrees to a list of semifinalists in each category. Then more than 600 judges across the country -- regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators and past James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award winners -- vote for the five finalists and then choose a winner in each category.

The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit that recognizes excellence in the culinary field from chefs and restaurants to journalists and cookbook authors. James Beard was a television personality and food writer who championed regional American cuisine. The foundation was created by his friends after his death in 1985.

The Chef's Academy, a new culinary school in Morrisville, will celebrate its grand opening next Thursday, Sept. 29, with a Triangle chefs' showdown. The event, which is open to the public, is from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Morrisville campus at 2001 Carrington Mill Blvd.

The local chefs cooking for the event include Scott Crawford of The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Michael Chuong of án Restaurant, both in Cary, Walter Royal of Angus Barn Khoury Solomon of Irregardless Café, both in Raleigh.

The event also will feature a silent auction to raise money for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Among the items up for auction are a cooking class for up to 12 people at the school and a set of Mercer knives.

The school is asking folks to RSVP. You can do that online and see more details about the event at bit.ly/pgKayA.

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."

REMINDER: Enjoy a nice meal and help out the Western Wake Farmers' Market by going to a fundraiser event on May 21 at The Umstead Hotel & Spa. 

Herons executive chef Scott Crawford will be serving up food for the fundraiser. (Crawford just earned Herons a five-star review from N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox.) The event includes drinks, appetizers, a carving station, specialty cheeses and breads, seafood and an assortment of desserts and seasonal fruit. 

There also will be live music and a silent auction. The event is 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 21. 

Tickets cost $60 a person. To purchase a ticket, go HERE.

This sounds like an incredible meal: Five courses made by chefs Scott Crawford and Daniel Benjamin, both of Herons at The Umstead Hotel, Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner in Raleigh, Jim Anile of Revolution in Durham and Vivian Howard of Chef & The Farmer in Kinston. The meal will be 7 p.m. May 17.

The cost is $110. Seating is limited. Call 447-4200. 

Proceeds benefit the Lucy Daniels Center in Cary. 

Dean McCord, aka Varmint Bites who volunteers for the Lucy Daniels Center and I suspect helped arrange the dinner, has a post about the event HERE.

Enjoy a nice meal and help out the Western Wake Farmers' Market by going to a fundraiser event on May 21 at The Umstead Hotel & Spa. 

Herons executive chef Scott Crawford will be serving up food for the fundraiser. (Crawford just earned Herons a five-star review from N&O restaurant critic Greg Cox.) The event includes drinks, appetizers, a carving station, specialty cheeses and breads, seafood and an assortment of desserts and seasonal fruit. 

There also will be live music and a silent auction. The event is 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 21. 

Tickets cost $60 a person. To purchase a ticket, go HERE.