North Carolina Oyster & Seafood Celebration

Chef Dean Neff, a James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Chef” Finalist and passionate North Carolina seafood advocate, announces the inaugural North Carolina Oyster & Seafood Celebration taking place November 4-5 at his acclaimed restaurant Seabird – a sustainable seafood restaurant and oyster bar devoted to celebrating North Carolina’s coast through daily-changing menus featuring local fishers, farmers, and foragers. The two-day seafood experience follows the official start of wild oyster season while celebrating the State’s renowned coastal foodways, fishermen and women and sustainable seafood practices.

About Chef Dean Neff, Chef/Owner of Seabird and Zora’s Market & Kitchen

Dean Neff is the owner and chef of Seabird, Wilmington’s sustainable seafood restaurant and oyster bar devoted to celebrating North Carolina’s coast, as well as the new owner of Wilmington’s oldest seafood market, Zora’s Market & Kitchen. A James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Chef” Finalist and “Best Chef Southeast” nominee, Neff opened Seabird in Spring 2021 as his first solo venture with wife Lydia Clopton; in 2024, he took the reins at Zora’s Market & Kitchen.

At Seabird, Neff offers “Seabirdie” oysters farmed by Holdfast Oyster Co. exclusively for the restaurant, and changes the menu daily based on deliveries from coastal fishers, farmers and foragers. Eater calls it “Essential” and named it the “Beach Restaurant of the Year.” Reader’s Digest, Hemispheres, The Local Palate and Garden & Gun praise it as one of THE reasons to visit Wilmington today; the Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed’s “Worth It” have celebrated Seabird’s locally focused seafood tower and overall commitment to sustainable seafood.

Neff is a champion of North Carolina’s sustainable fishing, aquaculture and farming practices and an outspoken advocate for North Carolina’s Oyster Trail. He serves as a regional council member for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC and on the North Carolina Fish Consumption Advisory at Duke University.

About Julie Qiu

Julie Qiu is an international Oyster Sommelier, educator, and founder of In A Half Shell, the world’s leading oyster appreciation blog. She is also co-founder of the Oyster Master Guild, where she advances oyster education and service standards for the food & hospitality sector, drawing on 15+ years of global experience featured in outlets like Vogue, Food & Wine, and The New York Times. Based in NYC and Madrid, Julie can usually be found traveling the world in search of exceptional oyster destinations and producers. Follow Julie on Instagram @inahalfshellist @oystermasterguild

Reservations

Reservations for the events are available on OpenTable and can be found here. Space is limited for these exclusive experiences celebrating North Carolina’s exceptional seafood heritage.

Seabird is located at 1 South Front Street in the heart of downtown, near the Wilmington Riverwalk and accepts reservations on Open Table Thursdays through Mondays. Seabird is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Visit Seabird and follow @SeabirdNC.