Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham won Best Chef-Southeast Region on Monday evening.
The Beard Awards are essentially the Oscars of the Food World.
Moore has operated Saltbox since 2012. The seafood restaurant is at 2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd in Durham.
There were more accolades for North Carolina as Chai Pani in Asheville won the award for Outstanding Restaurant.