Chef Scott Crawford announced Crawford & Son—opening fall 2016 in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina—under his newly formed group, Crawford Hospitality. “I am 100 percent committed to Raleigh, to provide for our thriving community. I’ve been overwhelmed by the love and support I’ve received here, and Raleigh has become our home. My family and I have chosen to stay here and form my own hospitality group; the first venture will be my neighborhood restaurant,” explains Crawford, who is also planning his tavern concept to open at a new location on Nash Square.
Crawford & Son—a reference to Crawford’s commitment to family and community—will be located at 618 North Person Street, in the burgeoning Person Street neighborhood. Louis Cherry Architecture will design the 60 seat restaurant where Crawford will serve the food he has become so well known for—clean, inspired, modern Southern cuisine. Crawford’s drive to serve his local community will begin by focusing on this neighborhood restaurant offering a constantly changing menu and affordable prices. “Gracious hospitality and service is a cornerstone of Crawford Hospitality,” sats Crawford, who tapped Anthony Guerra to join the group and serve as general manager for Crawford & Son. Crawford will also be joined by Chef de Cuisine Bret Edlund and Pastry Chef Krystle Swenson.
Through Crawford Hospitality, Chef/Owner Scott Crawford is consulting on multiple projects and planning more projects of his own for downtown Raleigh.
Chef Crawford redefined haute cuisine in the region, earning praise for his modern treatment of Southern ingredients, integrity with which he enhances flavors, and overall inspired approach to seasonal cooking in the South.
After more than a decade as a Five Star Executive Chef in luxury properties, Crawford left The Umstead Hotel & Spa in 2014 to lend his talents to downtown Raleigh’s vibrant culinary scene. In October 2015, his casual take on locally sourced food earned rave reviews at Standard Foods. Southern Living’s 50th Anniversary Issue praised Crawford’s cuisine, saying “Raleigh Tastes Better Than Ever,” and Cooking Light celebrated his clean approach to Southern food. In March 2016, the James Beard Foundation named Crawford a semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, and Crawford competed on national TV to win on Bravo’s new “Recipe for Deception.”
Crawford—a four-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast—was raised among Pennsylvania farms but embraced the South’s rich agriculture, and blazed a trail of culinary prestige cooking across the region over decades. Crawford earned the coveted Forbes Five-Star award at Herons in The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina, in 2010 to 2014, as he had previously, at The Georgian Room at The Cloister Hotel in Sea Island, Georgia in 2007—09, and at The Woodlands Resort & Inn in Summerville, South Carolina in 2004—06. Under his direction, Esquire Magazine named The Georgian Room a Best New Restaurant and Newsweek recognized Herons among the 101 Best Places to Eat in the World.
Chef Scott Crawford is a presenter and featured talent at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival June 2—5, will be a featured chef at Fearrington House Restaurant on June 16th at Our State Magazine’s Meet the Maker: Farm-to-Table dinner, is offering a Crawford & Son pop-up at Mercantile and Mash in Charleston on June 23rd, and will be a featured chef at Palmetto Bluff’s 10th anniversary of Music to Your Mouth in November.
