By Dathan Kazsuk | Peregrine chef will collaborate with Kultura’s Nikko Cagalanan for a one-night-only dinner featuring South Asian, Filipino and Carolina flavors.
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By Dathan Kazsuk
The James Beard Foundation is bringing its Taste America culinary series to the City of Oaks this fall for an intimate collaborative dinner featuring two brilliant Carolina chefs.
Peregrine chef Saif Rahman will host chef Nikko Cagalanan of Kultura in Charleston for a multicourse dinner on Tuesday, October 27. This one-night-only event will be held at Peregrine and include wine and beverage pairings selected to complement the menu.
Presented by American Express and Resy, Taste America is a national dining series spotlighting independent restaurants and chefs in 20 cities across the country. Each event will pair a chef from the James Beard Foundation’s TasteTwenty class with another notable culinary talent.
For the Raleigh dinner, Rahman and Cagalanan will combine their culinary acumen through a menu featuring South Asian and Filipino flavors alongside ingredients and traditions from the Carolinas.
“Our Raleigh dinner is a celebration of two phenomenal chefs,” says Siobhan Flaherty Haber, vice president of events for the James Beard Foundation. She describes the collaboration as an opportunity to showcase the creativity, community spirit, and leadership that influence American food culture.
Rahman opened Peregrine inside Raleigh’s The Exchange, where his cooking draws connections between his South Asian heritage and the ingredients, foodways, and agricultural traditions across the state.
Rahman says participating in the TasteTwenty class and bringing Taste America back to Raleigh carries special significance.
“Sharing the night with Kultura’s Nikko Cagalanan, coming in from Charleston, feels like the perfect embodiment of what we’re all working toward,” Rahman says.
Cagalanan, a 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Emerging Chef, is known for presenting Filipino food through a contemporary Lowcountry perspective at Kultura. The Charleston restaurant has earned national attention for dishes influenced by Cagalanan’s heritage, personal experiences and relationships with regional farmers and producers.
“I am very excited to cook alongside one of the best chefs in the country and a very inspiring human,” Cagalanan says. “It’s such an honor to be doing this dinner with chef Saif, representing both our cultures inspired by Carolina ingredients.”
Now in its 14th year, Taste America offers diners the opportunity to experience collaborative menus that are not typically available at participating restaurants. The events also raise money for the James Beard Foundation’s national programs supporting independent restaurants and efforts to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.
Tickets for the Taste America Raleigh dinner are on sale now. Additional information and menus are available at jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica.
