Beard Award-winning local chef Ricky Moore provides culinary advice during a special class at the Brodhead Center.
A Tasty Lesson from a Local Food Hero
Duke Dining brings chef Ricky Moore to offer cooking tips to students
A Tasty Lesson from a Local Food Hero
Duke Dining brings chef Ricky Moore to offer cooking tips to students
That special scent of the North Carolina coast coming from the second floor of the Brodhead Center Feb. 24 was the work of famed local chef Ricky Moore.
Duke Dining brought in the James Beard Award-winning chef for an interactive demo. Moore, a native of New Bern who now lives in Durham, provided the lucky students with a firsthand taste of coastal culinary traditions and sustainable seafood, as well as an example of how Duke connects with the local community through food and culture.
His impressive career includes serving as a cook in the U.S. Army for seven years, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1994, and honing his skills in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens. In 2012, Moore opened SALTBOX Seafood Joint in Durham, a celebrated seafood establishment that has received national acclaim.
His first James Beard nomination came in 2020, followed by the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southeast award in 2022. In 2025, Moore was named a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, one of the foundation’s most prestigious national honors.
Ricky Moore watches over students as they make their own version of his dishes.
The special kitchen on the second floor of the Brodhead Center provides students with regular opportunities to practice cooking and learn from chefs such as Moore.
