A sterling lineup of chefs from around the region are getting their game faces on as
culinary battle Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series returns to the kitchen and, better yet, to your plate if you're a ticket-holder.
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Photo courtesy Bolt PR
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The chefs of the 2015 Competition Dining Series. Just like in Highlander there can only be one.
The premise is simple. Top chefs with two supporting team members face off and prepare three courses based on an ingredient that comes from a North Carolina farmer or artisan producer. The catch is that the chefs only learn the essential ingredient about an hour before they begin cooking.
Their work is then judged by a small group of professional judges (usually culinary professionals or journalists) and diners who bought tickets for the dinner. None of the people judging know which chef made which dish when scoring the six courses on everything from flavor to presentation. Winners in the first round advance to face each other and then those winners advance until there is only one. Regional winners receive $2,000, a handmade chef's knife from Ironman Forge and the Red Chef Jacket (which was won in 2013 and 2014 by Dean Thompson of
Flights at the Renaissance in Raleigh. They also earn the right to compete in a "Battle of the Champions" later in the year. That winner receives $4,000 and a trip to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California.
Host and founder of the series, Jimmy Crippen, said that they decided to hold the competition earlier than usual this year to offer "a new season of food for the chefs to play with." Also, this tends to be a slower time for of year for them.
The chefs participating this year were announced in an event at Zinda in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday morning. The first-round matchups are:
Jan. 19 - Gerry Fong of
Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant in New Bern vs. Benjamin Harris of
Midtown Grille in Raleigh;
Jan. 20 - Trey Cleveland of
Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery in Chapel Hill vs. Ryan Conklin of
Rex Healthcare in Raleigh;
Jan. 21 - Shane Ingram of
Four Square Restaurant in Durham vs. Ben Strange of
Aperitivo at Lawson's Landing in New Bern;
Jan. 26 - Christopher Hill of
Faire Steak & Seafood in Raleigh vs. Teddy Diggs of
Il Palio in Chapel Hill;
Jan. 27 - Ben Adams of
Piedmont Restaurant in Durham vs. Chelsi Hogue of
Ed's Southern Food & Spirits in Greensboro;
Jan. 28 - Patrick Cowden of
Tobacco Road Sports Cafe in Raleigh/Durham vs. Curt Shelvey of
Curt's Cucina in Southern Pines;
Feb. 2 - Spencer Carter of
Weathervane in Chapel Hill vs. Rhett Morris of
Rhett's Restaurant in Southern Pines;
and
Feb. 3 - Benjamin Guaman of
Governors Club in Chapel Hill vs. Brandon Stark of
Michael's Seafood Restaurant in Carolina Beach.
Subsequent rounds will be Feb. 9-10, Feb. 16-17, Feb. 23-24 and March 2.
All of the competition takes place at 1705 Prime at 1705 E. Millbrook Road in Raleigh. Tickets range from $55 to $75 depending on which round of competition you're attending. Visit
www.competitiondining.com for details and reservations.