Battle Old Mill of Guilford Grits & Cottle Farms Strawberries

Wednesday's last semi-final battle featured Old Mill of Guilford Grits and Cottle Farms Strawberries, with Chef Richard Miller of Graze rising victorious over Chef Tim Grandinetti of Spring House Restaurant, Kitchen and Bar.  Get all the details on the food and fun on Nik Snacks today!

Battle Peanuts & Pepsi

Get all the details on Battle America's Best Nut Co. Peanuts & Pepsi, wherein Chef Tim Thompson of Marisol defeated Chef Mark Grohman from Meridian - on Nik Snacks today!

Battle Seasonal Produce - Part Deux

It's Competition Dining Déjà vu all over again!  In a surprising twist, the Chef Ref did the same ingredients back-to-back again this week!  Chef Richard Miller of Graze edged out Chef Travis Myers of River Birch Lodge by a mere 0.2 points in Battle Seasonal Produce.  Catch all the fresh details on Nik Snacks today!

The Ultimate Culinary Competition: Fire in the Triangle

http://www.g105.com/onair/brianna-49777/the-ultimate-culinary-competition-fire-in-12372903/

Battle Seasonal Produce - recap on Nik Snacks now!

Get all the details on Chef Timothy Grandinetti's, of Spring House, victory over Artisan Restaurant's Chef Kevin Reddick in battle Seasonal Produce on Nik Snacks now!

Fire in the Triangle Bracket Announced!

Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series Reveals Local Chefs and Brackets for Regional Tournament, Fire in the Triangle

Statewide Chef Competition Comes to Raleigh Offering 15 Fun, Interactive Dinner Events Starting June 23

Raleigh, North Carolina – May 15, 2014 – The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the state’s food, agriculture and culinary talent, will pit 16 local chefs against each other in the upcoming Fire in the Triangle events. The series includes 15 dinner experiences in which two chefs battle it out and attending community members serve as judges for a blind six-course meal. Tickets to the interactive Fire in the Triangle battles, which take place June 23 through Aug. 4 in Raleigh, are available now at www.competitiondining.com.

Chefs from across the region applied to take part in the competition and final participants were selected based on culinary talent, menu development experience, training, personality, proven creativity and more. Fire in the Triangle chefs and preliminary match-up battles include:

First-Round Brackets

·         June 23 Dinner: Dean Thompson of Flights in Raleigh, versus Joseph Yarnell of Cantina 18 in Raleigh

·         June 24 Dinner: John Childers of Herons in Cary, versus Scott Jankovictz of The Station in Raleigh

·         June 25 Dinner: Spencer Carter of Weathervane in Chapel Hill, versus Nunzio Scordo of Driftwood Southern Kitchen in Raleigh

·         June 30 Dinner: Christopher Hill of The Oxford in Raleigh, versus Younes Sabouh of City Kitchen in Chapel Hill

·         July 1 Dinner: Serge Falcoz-Vigne of 518 West in Raleigh, versus James Clark of Carolina Crossroads in Chapel Hill

·         July 2 Dinner: Peter Spear of Pup's Steakhouse in Wilson, versus Adam Jones of Dean’s Seafood Bar & Grill in Cary

·         July 7 Dinner: Sean Fowler of Mandolin in Raleigh, versus Steve Zanini of Jimmy V’s Steak House & Tavern in Cary

·         July 8 Dinner: Regan Stachler of Little Hen in Apex, versus Beth LittleJohn of Coquette Brasserie in Raleigh

In every Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series event battle, the two participating chefs each prepare three courses centered on a secret or featured ingredient that comes from a North Carolina farmer or artisan producer. Featured ingredients are revealed to the chefs only an hour before they start cooking that day and must be used in each course.

At the dinner events, ticketed guests savor the combined six courses without knowing which chef prepared each. Alongside culinary and guest judges, diners rate each dish using an interactive app, ultimately determining who moves on to the next round and who goes home.

“The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is part of a larger movement,” said Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host. “Because we are all chefs, farmers or diners, our mission is to connect and celebrate regional communities through a dynamic, entertaining culinary experience. The events are interactive not only with guests grading the dishes through the app, but also connecting together. You walk around these events and table after table diners are socializing and debating with everyone around them, and people at home are following along through live Tweets (using the hashtag #CompDiningNC) – all with a central appreciation for the great foods from right here in North Carolina.”

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is unlike any other dinner experience in the country. It hosts five regional tournaments throughout the year, including the surrounding markets for Wilmington, Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte. For 2014, 16 of some of the best local culinary talent in each area will compete until a final winner emerges.

At stake in each regional series is a grand prize of $2,000, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge and the coveted “Red Chef Jacket.” Additionally, each regional winner moves on to the Final Fire Battle of Champions that will be hosted in Raleigh this November to crown a statewide winner.

Along with the preliminary battles listed previously, Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series’ Fire in the Triangle events include:

Quarterfinals

·         July 14 Dinner: June 23 winner versus June 24 winner

·         July 15 Dinner: June 25 winner versus June 30 winner

·         July 21 Dinner: July 1 winner versus July 2 winner

·         July 22 Dinner: July 7 winner versus July 8 winner

Semifinals

·         July 28 Dinner: July 14 winner versus July 15 winner

·         July 29 Dinner: July 21 winner versus July 22 winner

Final Battle (Fire in the Triangle championship event)

·         Aug. 4 Dinner: July 28 winner versus July 29 winner

Tickets to attend a preliminary and quarterfinal battle dinner cost $59 excluding beverage, tax and tip. Tickets for the semifinals and the final battle are $69 excluding beverage, tax and tip. Community members can attend as many dinners as they like. Reservations are open now at www.competitiondining.com.

About The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef®, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, the NC Wine & Grape Council, Hits Technology and local partners in each region of the state. The goal of the series is to celebrate local North Carolina products and agriculture, and to showcase the culinary ingenuity and talent across the state. For more information, visit www.competitiondining.com or get in on the conversation at www.facebook.com/competitiondining and @CompDiningNC on Twitter or Instagram.

Media Contact:

Nicole Kypraios

(919) 274-6370

nkypraios@boltpr.com

Battle High Rock Farm Chestnut Flour - Round 2!

In a surprise twist, Chef Mark Grohman, of Meridian Restaurant, and Chef Chris Russell, of B. Christophers, faced High Rock Farm Chestnut Flour - the same ingredient as the night before! Check out the recap of Chef Grohman's victory on Nik Snacks now.  A big thank you to Amanda Clark of Cuisine and Screen for guest blogging!

Battle High Rock Farm Chestnut Flour

In Battle High Rock Farm Chestnut Flour, The Marisol's Chef Tim Thompson came out victorious over Cast Iron Kitchen's Chef Tony Stevens.  Catch all the juicy details on Nik Snacks today, compliments of our official blogger Nikki Miller-Ka, and guest blogger Amanda Clark of Cuisine and Screen.

Battle NC Eggs & Texas Pete®

Catch up on all the delicious details of Chef Travis Myers' win over Chef Mitchell Nicks in Battle NC Eggs & Texas Pete® here on Nik Snacks today!

GRAZE's Chef Richard Miller takes down Chef Brandon Sherrill from District Roof Top in Battle Mangalitsa Ham

Chef Richard Miller, Executive Chef of GRAZE at the Winston-Salem Marriott, came out victorious last night over District Roof Top Bar and Grill's Chef Brandon Sherrill in Battle Mangalitsa Ham, provided by Johnston County Hams, Inc.  Miller will be competing again on May 20th against the winner of tonight's battle at The Empire Room.  Catch the entire recap of Battle Mangalitsa Ham on Nik Snacks today!

Catch the recap on Chef Kevin Reddick of Artisan's win over New Town Bistro's Chef Donny Smith

Battle Fish Connection Hybrid Striped Bass & RayLen Pinot Grigio was a tight one!  Catch the full recap on Nik Snacks herehttp://niksnacks.blogspot.com/2014/05/artisan-vs-new-town.html now!

Chef Tim Grandinetti of Spring House defeats Chef Tim Barbrey of Perky's Bistro

Read Nik Snacks' recap of Chef Tim Grandinetti's victory over Chef Tim Barbrey in the Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series, Fire in the Triad battle TOPO Gin and Ashe County Cheese.