Local Limelight: Raleigh chef Scott Crawford

Scott Crawford is about to have a busy year, as he works to open three new restaurants: the Crawford Brothers Steakhouse in Cary, Brodeto at Raleigh Iron Works and Genuine, a bar-and-grill space in Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

We caught up with Crawford recently for our Local Limelight series.

🍣 His favorite place to eat in the Triangle: I preface this by saying my favorite place right now might not be my favorite place two months from now because something new might open or I might revisit one of my friends restaurants. But right now M Sushi at Fenton is my favorite spot.

• When you're still thinking about (eating there) weeks and months later, then that's a good sign.

📚 Last great book he read: "Life, on the Line" by Grant Achatz [and Nick Kokonas]. I've read lots of books since then, but that was maybe the last one that really had a real serious impact on me.

🏨 How he ended up in the Triangle: I came to work for the Goodnights as the executive chef and the food-and-beverage director at The Umstead Hotel.

🤳 First thing he reads in the morning: I try to catch up on the news — current events or financial news – from social media and a variety of sites.

👟 What he thinks the Triangle is missing: Larger and more walkable central downtowns.

🏡 How he unwinds at the end of the day: My family helps me unwind. We spend a lot of time together. We're very tight. And we really care a lot about each other. My kids are in their teenage years now but we still hang out a lot.

✈️ What he's looking forward to: Traveling to Italy and Croatia for research purposes for my new restaurant Brodeto. And traveling with my family. Traveling is a big thing for us.

🌴 Favorite vacation spot: We love to go to Charleston. My wife's family all lives in Charleston and she was born and raised there. We have a real connection with that city.

🎧 Favorite podcast: North Carolina Food & Beverage Podcast.