An Eastern North Carolina native, Chef Keith Rhodes, is owner of Catch Restaurant, Catch the Food Truck, Tackle Box Kitchen at UNCW, and Tackle Box Kitchen Food Trailer located in Wilmington, NC, where he offers his unique signature on New Southern Cuisine with international inspiration.
Chef Rhodes has a lifetime of roots sewn here in our coastal community, in which he credits his grandfather for his “farm to table” approach. In addition to supporting local purveyors, fishermen and farmers, Chef Rhodes is always proud to give back to his community by visiting local grade schools, colleges and military bases to share his knowledge on food culture and cuisine along with educating groups on food deserts, sustainability policies and food advocacy.
With Wilmington also being known as a “Hollywood East” destination, Chef Rhodes has hosted both film and television personalities from Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey Jr, to Morris Chestnut & Melissa McCarthy. He’s won numerous awards and accolades, some which include:
- Best Chef & Best Foodtruck (4 years in a row) Encore Magazine
- NC Goodness Grows Best Dish for Fine & Casual Dining
- Chef-testant on Bravo’s Top Chef (Season 9)
- James Beard “Best Chef Southeast” Semi Finalist 2011 & 2023
- NCTIA- Tourism Excellence for a Business Award 2023
- Omega Psi Phi 2023 Citizen of the Year/Omicron Alpha Chapter
- NCRLA Restaurateur of the Year 2024
- USA Today Restaurant of the Year 2024
In addition to being a Gullah Culinarian (US Park Service), Chef Rhodes is a 2023 NC Restaurant & Lodging Association Board of Trustees Member.
He has represented the NC Department of Tourism on several media missions, been featured in several publications such as Our State Magazine and Garden & Gun. In 2017 he was a James Beard Foundation guest chef onboard its Windstar Cruise Line, where his menu items are still featured today.
In September 2022, Chef Rhodes was a featured guest of World Renowned/International YouTube Food Blogger, Mark Wiens, which cast a spotlight on Wilmington and its coastal cuisine, with a video of 3.6 MILLION views. Another YouTube video blogger, Buzz Feed, “Is it Worth It” garnered over 2.4 MILLION views.
When he’s not treating his diners to the best seasonal offerings at Catch, you can find him traveling and spending time with his amazing wife of 34 years, Angela and their two adult children, Kristen and Keith Jr.