Christopher Prieto

Linkdown: The Belated April Edition

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Photo taken by Joshua Boucher jboucher@thestate.com

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Earlier this month, the James Beard Award finalists were announced. However, unlike in year’s past, the barbecue nominees were limited to just a couple of chefs in two separate categories – Best Chef: California and Best Chef: Southeast. Curiously, no Texas pitmasters received finalist nominations after Fasicka and Patrick Hicks at Smoke’N Ash BBQ in Arlington and Evan LeRoy of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin were named semifinalists in January.

For the second year in a row, Robbie Robinson of City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia was nominated for Best Chef: Southeast. This is a major achievement and when he was named semifinalist in January it is believed that he is only the second barbecue pitmaster to be nominated for the same Chef category more than once. Surely, he is in even more limited company when it comes to finalist nominations. Additionally in Best Chef: California, Daniel Castillo of Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano was the other barbecue pitmaster nominated.

Robinson has received some well deserved local press in recent weeks:


The final winners in the restaurant and chef Awards categories will be celebrated on Monday, June 16, during a gala ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Good luck to all the finalists.

Native News

This Saturday, the BBQ Fest on the Neuse in Kinston is attempting to set a Guinness World Record for most barbecue sandwiches sold in 8 hours

Ben’s Backdraft Barbecue in Waynesville is having their grand opening celebration on May 31st featuring a whole hog pig pickin’ and live music

A second Lawrence Barbecue in Cary and a steak restaurant from Christopher Prieto in Durham are two of the most anticipated restaurants opening this year in the Carolinas this spring

Non-Native News

ICYMI, Elliott’s Barbecue opened in Florence earlier this month

Carolina Bar-B-Que in New Ellenton, SC is under new ownership and not only surviving, but thriving

Heirloom Market BBQ is still an essential restaurant in Atlanta

Some fire merch from Peg Leg Porker

Also ICYMI:

So you’ve made it to the Masters; should you get the barbecue sandwich?

Linkdown: 1/30/25 – The Joy and the Sadness Edition

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Monk: Congrats to the 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists! They were announced a little over a week ago, and from a barbecue standpoint Christopher Prieto of Prime Barbecue was the only pitmaster from North Carolina nominated. This was his first nomination.

Impressively, Robbie Robinson of City Limits Barbeque in West Columbia was nominated for a second time – perhaps the first time someone from the barbecue world has been nominated two years in an row. That’s big time.

https://twitter.com/EaterCarolinas/status/1882089244937871864

By my count, there were 8 nominations from the barbecue world. The Southeast made up 2 of those, as did Texas. The remaining nominations were from California, Mid-Atlantic, South, and in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. The full list is available here.

  • Outstanding Restaurateur – Daisy Ryan and Greg Ryan, Companion Hospitality (Bell’s, Bar Le Cote, Priedite BBQ, and others), Los Alamos, CA
  • Best Chef: California – Darryl Bell, Stateline Road Smokehouse, Napa, CA
  • Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic – Fernando Gonzalez, 2Fifty Barbeque, Riverdale, MD and Washington, DC
  • Best Chef: South – Jordan Wright, Wright’s Barbecue, Johnson, AR
  • Best Chef: Southeast – Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue, Knightdale, NC;
  • Best Chef: Southeast – Robbie Robinson, City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, SC
  • Best Chef: Texas – Fasicka Hicks and Patrick Hicks, Smoke’N Ash BBQ, Arlington, TX
  • Best Chef: Texas – Evan LeRoy, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Austin, TX

Nominees for the 35h Annual James Beard Award will be announced on Wednesday, April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16. Will someone from the barbecue world win Best Chef? Stay tuned and we’ll find out in a couple of months.

Native News

On the sad side of things, a trio of stories from the world of North Carolina barbecue:

Kyle Fletcher of Kyle Fletcher’s Barbecue in Lowell passed away earlier this year and leaves behind a “legacy of kindness”

Short Sugar’s in Reidsville has closed after 75 years in business

And to add to the misery, Kepley’s in the Barbecue Bros hometown of High Point will close next month after 75 years open

NC Weekend Checks Out Prime Barbecue and Its “Full-Blown Barbecue Campus”

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Monk: NC Weekend’s been pumping out the barbecue content lately, and in a recent visit host Deborah Holt Noel took a visit to Knightdale to sit down with owner/head fire maker Christopher Prieto for a tour of the restaurant and to try a little bit of everything on the menu.

Description: See why Prime Barbecue is drawing huge crowds to its popular spot in Knightdale.

Linkdown: 6/7/23 – The Agent ‘Cue Edition

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Monk: Queen City Nerve goes deep on the roots of the newly opened Firehawk Brewpub in Mount Holly. While I haven’t made it out there myself (and couldn’t make the media opening due to family commitments), I do plan to make the trip very soon. After reading this article about the barbecue restaurant/fish camp/brewery, I’m even more excited.

Native News

Dana Hanson is a Meat Scientist at NC State and runs their annual barbecue camp, modeled after Texas A&M

Sweet Lew’s BBQ and The Smoke Pit are two vendors for this weekend’s Taste of Charlotte

Looks like Christopher Prieto and Prime Barbecue will be on UNC-TV soon

New Sam Jones BBQ merch just in time for Father’s Day

Non-Native News

John Tanner enjoyed Randy’s Ribs , a carry-out place on Route 5 in Maryland

Fresh off retirement from the competition circuit, Melissa Cookston weighs in on 14 barbecue myths

Congrats to Kevin Bludso on the James Beard win for his latest cookbook;

No barbecue pitmasters or chefs won this year and the Carolinas were also shut out, but here’s the full list of winners