Two area restauranteurs have been honored by inclusion in USA Today’s top 10 central North Carolina barbecue spots.

Former Fayetteville City Councilman Wade Fowler who now serves as chairman of the Public Works Commission has been involved in many walks of life since retiring as an Air force jet fighter pilot. He owns Fowlers’ Southern Gourmet on W. Rowan Street near downtown. It opened in February 2018, and has already gained a reputation for delicious ribs, pork barbecue and smoked brisket.

Whole hog barbecue is something of a dying art, but Fayetteville native Wyatt Dickson didn't get the memo. He and co-owner Ryan Butler opened Picnic in Durham five years ago.

Dickson is one of the sons of Up & Coming Weekly columnist Margaret Dickson. His barbecue mixes old-school technique with a new-school mindset.