Dean Neff, Dean has a degree from the University of Georgia in business and marketing and a culinary degree from the School of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. Dean created Pinpoint Restaurant in May 2015 and sold his shares in February 2019. Dean put Pinpoint into the national spotlight – it was named one of the Best New Restaurants in the South in 2016 and one of the top ten Best Restaurants in the South by Southern Living. In 2019 Dean was listed as a James Beard Semi-Finalist for Best Chef Southeast.  

Dean has built his career in food around leadership and support of community nonprofit groups in the Wilmington community. His new restaurant, Seabird, is set to open this spring 2021 in Downtown Wilmington, NC.