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Wednesday 28th May
Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington
Keith Rhodes, Catch, Wilmington
On Wednesday we are delighted to pair up two multi-award winning chefs and NC seafood advocates from the port city of Wilmington, Dean Neff and Keith Rhodes. Between them they have 4 James Beard nominations and numerous other accolades. This amazing partnership is destined to serve up a memorable dining experience.
DEAN NEFF
Dean Neff is the owner and chef of Seabird – the sustainable seafood restaurant and oyster bar devoted to celebrating North Carolina’s coast, as well as the new owner of Wilmington’s oldest seafood market – Zora’s Market & Kitchen.
A James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Chef” Finalist and “Best Chef Southeast” nominee, Neff opened Seabird in Spring 2021 as his first solo venture with wife Lydia Clopton; in 2024, he took the reins at Zora’s Market & Kitchen. At Seabird, Neff offers “Seabirdie” oysters farmed by Holdfast Oyster Co. exclusively for Seabird, and changes the menu daily based on back door deliveries from coastal fishers, farmers and foragers.
Eater calls it “Essential” and named it the “Beach Restaurant of the Year.” Reader’s Digest, Hemispheres, The Local Palate and Garden & Gun praise it as one of THE reasons to visit Wilmington today; the Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed’s “Worth It” have celebrated Seabird’s locally focused seafood tower and overall commitment to sustainable seafood.
Neff is an outspoken champion of North Carolina’s Oyster Trail, a regional council member for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, and serves on the North Carolina Fish Consumption Advisory at Duke University.
Follow @ChefDeanNeff and @SeabirdNC and visit Seabird to reserve for brunch and dinner, and visit Zora’s Market & Kitchen to purchase seafood and enjoy lunch to-go or at a picnic table outside.
https://www.instagram.com/seabirdnc/
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KEITH RHODES
An Eastern North Carolina native, Chef Keith Rhodes, is owner of Catch Restaurant, Catch the Food Truck, Tackle Box Kitchen at UNCW, and Tackle Box Kitchen Food Trailer located in Wilmington, NC, where he offers his unique signature on New Southern Cuisine with international inspiration.
Chef Rhodes has a lifetime of roots sewn here in our coastal community, in which he credits his grandfather for his “farm to table” approach. In addition to supporting local purveyors, fishermen and farmers, Chef Rhodes is always proud to give back to his community by visiting local grade schools, colleges and military bases to share his knowledge on food culture and cuisine along with educating groups on food deserts, sustainability policies and food advocacy.
With Wilmington also being known as a “Hollywood East” destination, Chef Rhodes has hosted both film and television personalities from Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey Jr, to Morris Chestnut & Melissa McCarthy. He’s won numerous awards and accolades, some which include
*Best Chef & Best Foodtruck (4 years in a row) Encore Magazine
*NC Goodness Grows Best Dish for Fine & Casual Dining
*Chef-testant on Bravo’s Top Chef (Season 9)
*James Beard “Best Chef Southeast” Semi Finalist 2011 & 2023
*NCTIA- Tourism Excellence for a Business Award 2023
*Omega Psi Phi 2023 Citizen of the Year/Omicron Alpha Chapter
*NCRLA Restaurateur of the Year 2024
*USA Today Restaurant of the Year 2024
In addition to being a Gullah Culinarian (US Park Service), Chef Rhodes is a 2023 NC Restaurant & Lodging Association Board of Trustees Member. He has represented the NC Department of Tourism on several media missions, been featured in several publications such as Our State Magazine and Garden & Gun. In 2017 he was a James Beard Foundation guest chef onboard its Windstar Cruise Line, where his menu items are still
featured today. In September 2022, Chef Rhodes was a featured guest of World Renowned/International YouTube Food Blogger, Mark Wiens, which cast a spotlight on Wilmington and its coastal cuisine, with a video of 3.6 MILLION views. Another YouTube video blogger, Buzz Feed, “Is it Worth It” garnered over 2.4 MILLION views.
When he’s not treating his diners to the best seasonal offerings at Catch, you can find him traveling and spending time with his amazing wife of 35 years, Angela and their two adult children, Kristen and Keith Jr.
THE EVENT - WHAT TO EXPECT
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Arrive from 5:30pm for cocktails and canapes.
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During this time you are invited to peruse NC Catch's fascinating exhibit 'African American Experience in North Carolina Seafood' or to do a tour/tasting at The Hackney Distillery which sits adjacent to the restaurant.
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Dinner starts at 6:30pm - with each chef presenting their courses, our amazing seafood suppliers will also present and educate about the featured seafood.
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Dinner consists of five Courses​
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​Cost $275 per ticket, only 40 tickets per night.