Chef Dean Neff's new restaurant is expected to open early next year, he said recently. 

“Seabird will be a community restaurant that celebrates the seasonality of the Wilmington area's diverse local seafood and is set to open February of 2021 in Downtown Wilmington,” said Neff. “I am so excited to share the first look and details of this collaboration with everyone at the conference session on Friday.”

Neff, the former chef and co-owner of PinPoint Restaurant and James Beard Award semifinalist, will host a panel discussion for Preservation North Carolina’s (PNC) Annual Conference this Friday, October 16.

PNC’s 2020 conference will be a virtual one, with the theme “Adapting Preservation: Engaging Community Needs.” Neff and co-panelists will be discussing the repurposing of the historic 1 South Front St. building that will house Seabird. 

Neff told the GWBJ earlier this year that he’s been very pleased with the work done by local general contractor Christopher Yermal and his team at Old School Rebuilders. Neff is also working with Atlanta-based designers Smith Hanes.

The panel discussion, which takes place at 3 p.m., includes a cooking demonstration where Neff will prepare a baked oyster dish with shrimp and crab, as well as a special cocktail. Recipes will be sent to participants ahead of time so they can follow along and enjoy the appetizer and cocktail during the session.  

For more information on this year's PNC conference and to register for this event, see http://www.presnc.org/

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