Scott Crawford is a longtime leader of the Southeast’s culinary scene and the visionary behind the Crawford Hospitality brand – the growing Raleigh, North Carolina-based restaurant group including Crawford & Son, Jolie, Crawford Cookshop, as well as three new projects on the horizon. Brodeto, a celebration of the Adriatic Coast, will open in late 2023, followed by Crawford Brothers Steakhouse, a modern American steakhouse in summer August 2024, and Crawford Genuine, in the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in late 2024.

This five-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist for “Best Chef: Southeast” boasts decades of achievement beginning with earning the coveted Forbes Five-Star award for several properties across the Southeast before 2015 — at Herons in The Umstead Hotel and Spa, The Georgian Room at The Cloister Hotel, and The Woodlands Resort & Inn. In 2016, Crawford won Bravo TV’s “Recipe for Deception,” and more recently, the renowned luxury apparel company Peter Millar collaborated with Scott and the Crawford Hospitality brand for their “Artisans of Craft” series. Since establishing Crawford Hospitality, Scott Crawford has been named “CEO of the Year” by the Triangle Business Journal and “Restaurateur of the Year” by the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association.

In 2016, Scott Crawford introduced Crawford & Son – his neighborhood restaurant referencing his commitment to family and community – quickly awarded the “Triangle’s Restaurant of the Year.” His French bistro, Jolie, named for his daughter followed, and became an instant “Best New Restaurant of 2019.” And in 2021, Crawford and Son’s innovative take-out program during the pandemic spawned his most casual concept yet, Crawford Cookshop, in Clayton, NC. Accolades abound for Crawford Hospitality restaurants and their exceptionally skilled team and culinary approach.

Crawford is committed to introducing inspired restaurants, cultivating a healthy work-life balance in the culinary industry, and mentoring food and beverage professionals. His leadership also extends beyond the kitchen to advocacy and community service; he serves on the Strategic Planning Committee, Development Committee & Board of Directors of Healing Transitions – a place for addiction recovery in downtown Raleigh – for which he helped to raise an historic $23M for the organization’s 2022 Capital Campaign. In 2018, he led The Sunday Supper team to raise $400K for Hurricane Florence victims, and introduced and led the Raleigh Chapter of Ben’s Friends – a support group for food and beverage professionals who struggle with substance abuse and addiction – until 2020. Scott has also been a champion of Green Chair’s Sweeter Dreams Beds program and the new non-profit Now Serving addressing food insecurity in Raleigh.

When not in the kitchen, Crawford spends quality family time with his wife and two children.