Wilmington, NC: CATCH Modern Seafood Cuisine has been awarded the 2023 Tourism Excellence Award for Business. The annual award, given by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association (NCTIA), recognizes outstanding contributions made by businesses or organizations to the state’s tourism industry. Kim Hufham, President/CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority [TDA] and past president of NCTIA, presented the award to CATCH owners Angela and Chef Keith Rhodes during the North Carolina Tourism Leadership Conference Awards Banquet, held on Nov. 16 at the Westin Hotel in Raleigh.
In her opening remarks, Hufham stated: “It is an honor and a pleasure to present the North Carolina Travel Industry Association’s 2023 Tourism Excellence for Business Award to CATCH Modern Seafood Cuisine, a popular destination restaurant that supports the state’s sustainable food culture, tourism and hospitality industries. While this Tourism Excellence Award is for a Business, it is owners Keith and Angela Rhodes who represent the vision, heart and soul of CATCH.”
Since opening in Wilmington in 2006 as a family-owned business, CATCH Modern Seafood Cuisine has played a key role in elevating perceptions of coastal cuisine and in putting Wilmington on the culinary map. CATCH demonstrates its ongoing support for the tourism industry by representing coastal North Carolina cuisine and agriculture in a positive light through participation in statewide signature events and food festivals, media interviews, hosting travel journalists and advocating for the hospitality industry.
Executive chef and co-owner Keith Rhodes is an Eastern North Carolina native who worked as executive chef in Wilmington’s top restaurants before he and his wife and partner, Angela, opened CATCH Modern Seafood. Together Keith and Angela Rhodes have expanded their business to also include food trucks and Tacklebox Kitchen locations, garnering numerous accolades along the way.
A two-time James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southeast semi-finalist, Chef Rhodes also holds the distinction of being Wilmington’s first BRAVO TV “Top Chef” contestant, and the National Park Service recently pronounced Chef Rhodes an official Gullah Culinarian. As an award-winning chef Keith receives the lions’ share of media attention, but he is quick to point out that Angela is equally deserving of CATCH’s success as she capably manages daily operations with grace and calm. They frequently make time to support tourism and advocate for the hospitality industry by accompanying Visit North Carolina and the Wilmington and Beaches CVB to media events and by participation in industry organizations such as the N.C. Oyster Trail and Got To Be NC. Keith currently serves on the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association Board of Trustees and Angela is a member of the New Hanover County TDA Board of Directors (since 2012), serving on the Executive Committee since 2014.
In her closing remarks, Hufham shared how CATCH singlehandedly scored a viral social media hit when food vlogger Mark Wiens accepted the Rhodes’ personal invitation to spend a couple of days filming local oyster farms, shellfish suppliers and the CATCH crew in an hour-long video showcasing the state’s coastal landscapes, friendly people, local farmers and exquisite meals made with North Carolina ingredients. The YouTube video has now surpassed 3.4 million views and continues to inspire visitors to travel to Wilmington from across the U.S. and Canada. At the end of the video, food and travel vlogger Mark Wiens thanked Keith and Angela for their “positivity and passion that shines” in everything they do. “We agree wholeheartedly,” concluded Hufham.
The New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, markets and develops the county and its communities’ leisure and group travel experiences for economic growth and quality of place.
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Contact:
Connie Nelson
Communications/Public Relations Director
Wilmington and Beaches CVB
910-341-4030 x120
866-266-9690
cvbpr@wilmingtonandbeaches.com
