DURHAM, N.C. — From scotch to jalapeño-infused tequila, Alley Twenty Six in Downtown Durham has a cocktail to satisfy any drinker's delight. 

The craft cocktail bar was nominated as a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award, becoming the first North Carolina restaurant to be nominated in the Outstanding Bar Program category. According to its website, The James Beard Foundation celebrates people behind America's food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry. 

Shannon Healy opened Alley Twenty Six in 2012 and has received multiple local awards since.

"This is a different league," Healy said. 

Healy began working in the restaurant industry in 1985. 

"I have the same story as most people in the restaurant business. If you ask them why they got into it, they'll tell you they got into it until they got their real job and then at some point they'll realize, this is my real job," Healy said. 

The Florida native moved to North Carolina in 1997. He joined the staff at Crooks Corner, becoming the general manager. 

"2005, 2006, when I realized this is something I wanted to continue to do for the rest of my life, this was the career I've chosen," Healy said. 

Healy built Alley Twenty Six off of a love for flavors and hospitality. The craft cocktail bar originally opened as a private club and expanded to include a restaurant. The menu changes weekly, with inspiration for new cocktails coming from the seasons. 

"We make drinks on purpose, we make them to taste a certain way, we use ingredients that we source and we're careful about the use of those ingredients," Healy said. 

The cocktail menu also includes drinks for designated drivers. Healy says part of the service experience is taking time to get to know your customers and satisfy their needs and taste buds. 

"If people could leave here with one thing, it would be to feel like they received great hospitality. I'm not going to offer great hospitality by telling you what you should enjoy, but offering you things to choose from or having a conversation with you and finding out what kind of things you're into and then might delight you with things you may not have thought of, within the parameters of things you actually like," Healy said. 

Aside from Alley Twenty Six, five other Triangle area chef's also received nominations for Best Chef Southeast. 

• Oscar Diaz, The Cortez in Raleigh 
• Cheetie Kumar, Garland in Raleigh 
• Sunny Gerhart, St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar in Raleigh 
• Ricky Moore, Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham 
• Aaron Vandermark, Panciuto in Hillsborough

On Wednesday, the restuarant was announced as a finalist for the award. The winners will be announced in early June and celebrated in Chicago on June 13.