Ricky Moore (chef) facts for kids

Ricky Moore is an American chef who owns Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham, North Carolina. He won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2022. This award is like winning an Oscar for chefs!

Ricky Moore's Early Life and Training

Growing Up and Finding a Passion

Ricky Moore was born at a military base called Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Because his dad was in the military, Ricky moved a lot when he was young. By age seven, he had lived in places like Germany, Kentucky, and Texas.

Living in Europe, he got to try German cooking. When he grew up in New Bern, he loved to fish and catch crabs. He even thought about becoming an artist. But in high school, a home economics class helped him discover his true passion: cooking!

Military Service and Culinary School

After finishing New Bern High School in 1987, Ricky joined the military at 18. He started as a paratrooper, which means he jumped out of planes! Later, he became a cook in the United States Army.

After seven years in the army, he went to a famous cooking school. He graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 1994.

Ricky Moore's Cooking Career

Working Around the World

After culinary school, Chef Moore worked in many different kitchens. He traveled to places like Asia (Singapore), Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He learned from top chefs in many famous restaurants.

Some of the places he worked include Charlie Trotter's and Tru in Chicago. In France, he cooked at Apicius and Le Violin d'Ingres in Paris. He also worked in Toronto and New York. In North Carolina, he was the first executive chef at Giorgio's in Cary.

Teaching and Opening His Own Restaurant

Ricky Moore also taught cooking at the Washburne Culinary Institute. He was an executive chef for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants' South Water Kitchen. In 2007, he was the executive chef at Agraia in Washington, D.C..

He even competed against famous chef Michael Symon on the TV show Iron Chef America. His work has been featured in magazines like Garden & Gun and Travel + Leisure.

In 2012, Chef Moore opened his own restaurant, Saltbox Seafood Joint, in Durham, North Carolina. It quickly became very popular!

Cookbook and Documentaries

In 2019, Chef Moore published his first cookbook. It's called Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook. The book has 60 recipes that celebrate his love for coastal seafood.

He also filmed a documentary miniseries called The Hook. This show was for the public broadcasting network PBS North Carolina.

Awards and Recognition

Chef Moore has received many awards for his amazing cooking.

• In 2019, he was named a "local food champion" by the North Carolina Local Food Council.
• In 2020, he was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award in the Best Chef: Southeast category.
• He also received $25,000 from the foundation's '#EatItForward' campaign. This campaign supports Black-owned restaurants.
• In 2022, he won the big James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast.
• Indy Week magazine also named him "Best Chef in the Triangle."
• In 2025, he was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef award.

Ricky Moore's Family Life

Ricky Moore and his wife, Norma, have been married for 30 years. As of 2022, they live in Chapel Hill. They met when Ricky was stationed in Hawaii. They have two children, a daughter named Hunter and a son named Greyson.

In his kitchen, Chef Moore proudly displays a collection of filet knives from all over the world.

See also

• List of Culinary Institute of America alumni
• List of people from North Carolina