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The newly announced James Beard Award semifinalists make one thing clear: This state isn’t asking to be part of the national culinary conversation anymore. It’s already in it. With chefs and restaurants across Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte, Wilmington, and beyond earning recognition in some of the James Beard Foundation’s most competitive categories, this year feels less like a breakthrough and more like confirmation.
If there’s a geographic center to North Carolina’s momentum this year, it’s right here in the Triangle. Raleigh and Cary alone account for multiple semifinalists, each representing a different idea of what excellence looks like right now…