Raleigh has four 2024 James Beard semifinalists

• Cheetie Kumar's Five Points restaurant Ajja — which explores Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines — was nominated for the country's Best New Restaurant.
• Scott Crawford, one of Raleigh's busiest chefs, saw his restaurant Crawford & Son nominated for Outstanding Hospitality.
• The downtown Raleigh bar Bittersweet got a nod in the Outstanding Bar category.
• And Preeti Waas, head of the Indian restaurant Cheeni in Raleigh and Durham, was once again nominated for Best Chef: Southeast.

Why it matters: The awards highlight just how strong the Raleigh food scene has grown in recent years — despite pandemic setbacks.

Of note: Indigo Road Hospitality's Steve Palmer and Kimball Brienza received a nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur for O-Ku Sushi. While technically the nomination is for their Charleston location, O-Ku also has a spot in the Warehouse District in Raleigh.

• They're the only Carolina-based restaurateurs recognized in that category.

Flashback: The Triangle has had a good run at the James Beard Awards.

• Ricky Moore, of Durham's Saltbox Seafood Joint, won for "Best Chef: Southeast" in 2022; Raleigh's Ashley Christensen won the award in 2014; Chapel Hill's Andrea Reusing in 2011; and Ben Barker in 2000 for his work at the now-closed Durham restaurant Magnolia Grill.
• In 2019, Christensen also won the overall "Outstanding Chef."

Zoom out: Twelve restaurants in North Carolina landed nominations, including Dean Neff of Wilmington's Seabird for Outstanding Chef.

What's next: Finalists will be announced Wednesday, April 3, and winners will be revealed in Chicago on June 10.

Go deeper: Our 2023 list of the 30 Best Restaurants in the Triangle, which includes Crawford & Son and Cheeni