Now available! Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association Packages for Got To Be NC Competition Dining: Fire on the Rock in March

Asheville B&B Association partners are dishing up their signature gourmet breakfasts--after your Fire on the Rock experience at night. It's the perfect food lover's getaway with discounts at restaurants for the rest of the trip, too! 

What: Stay at one of Asheville’s finest bed & breakfasts; enjoy a gourmet breakfast and luxurious surroundings; vote your palate as a judge at Got To Be NC Competition Dining's  Fire on the Rock, a North Carolina-based cooking competition promoting NC chefs, farmers and diners. At Fire on the Rock, you'll enjoy three courses from each chef, using a featured North Carolina ingredient.  This is statewide series of dinners takes place in Wilmington, Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte.  Final Fire in Raleigh will kick off in November; all winning regional chefs will compete for final bragging rights. http://www.competitiondining.com/

Check out the 17 participating inns: http://ashevillebba.com/

Who: The 17 inns of the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association are partnering with the following participating restaurants and Got to Be NC Competition Dining. From Asheville, restaurants include Strada Italiano, Isis Restaurant and Music Hall, Ambrozia, King James Public House and Lexington Avenue Brewery (LAB). Season's at Highland Lake Inn & Resort is located in Flat Rock, NC. Vidalia and The Gamekeeper are in Boone, NC.

Where:  All Fire on the Rock dinners, featuring two chefs from the list above each night, take place at the Lioncrest on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. See the full schedule and details here from Carolina Epicurean blog: http://bit.ly/N73huT

When:   Monday and Tuesday Nights 6:30-10 pm, March 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 (semi-finals). The package is not available for the final on March 31.

Package includes: 

1 night’s lodging at an Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association Inn (www.ashevillebba.com)

2 Tickets to Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series “Fire On the Rock”

2 Wine Glasses from NC Wine & Grape Council
1 Bottle Cackalacky Sauce (sample size)
Free dessert for two at Ambrozia

Free dessert for two at The King James Public House

10% off lunch or dinner at Seasons Restaurant

$10 off $25 purchase (alcohol not included) at LAB (Lexington Avenue Brewery)

One complimentary chef’s choice appetizer with the purchase of a bottle of wine @Strada Italiano

Buy two signature drinks and get your choice of 1 complimentary tapas at The Social Lounge

Savor the Inns of Asheville:  Cookbook of the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association (not available at all Inns)

Please contact your selected inn for package pricing and availability as inns offer different rates and amenities. Some inns are pet-friendly. The innkeeper will book your tickets to the event.

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Contact Susan Murray at the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association (828-254-3608) or Susan Dosier at (704) 993-7871. 

Chef Antoine Murray of Cape Fear Country Club Wins 2014 Fire on the Dock Competition Dining Series

IMAGES AVAILABLE ON FLICKR

Wilmington, N.C. (Feb. 18, 2014) Last night, it was all about dessert. The North Carolina chef competition, Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series, wrapped up Fire on the Dock. On Monday evening, bragging rights went to Chef Antoine Murray and his team from Cape Fear Country Club in Wilmington, N.C. He won in a competitive battle against Chef Kirsten Mitchell of 1900 Restaurant and Lounge in Wilmington, N.C.

Eight chefs from eastern N.C. including Wilmington, Morehead City, Wrightsville Beach and Atlantic Beach competed in the competition that began Jan. 27 and concluded last night.

In the dining room at Wrightsville Beach’s Bluewater Waterfront Grill, diners waited to hear the final numbers, eyes riveted on the event host and founder, Jimmy Crippen. Crippen briefly quizzed each chef and the team members about how the day had unfolded. After recognizing the outstanding team at Bluewater Waterfront Grill, Crippen rattled off the scores for all six courses. Chef Antoine Murray and his teammates took home the trophy, a $2000 check, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge in Charlotte, and the coveted red chef’s jacket only a Competition Dining winner can receive.

The $2000 check was presented by Mac Sullivan, chief executive officer of Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, lead sponsor of the event, and Jimmy Crippen, host and founder of Competition Dining.

Fire on the Dock challenged the chefs to use two featured ingredients, Certified Angus Beef® and Joe Van Gogh™ Coffee. The chefs were required to use ribeye filet and coffee, each ingredient being used in at least two of their three courses for 170 diners. The chefs are not told what the featured ingredients will be until noon on the day they compete.

Both chefs rose to the occasion. Chef Antoine Murray’s first course was Seared Joe Van Gogh™ Coffee and Cocoa Rubbed Certified Angus Beef® Ribeye, Risotto, Lusty Monk Burn in Hell Crab Cake, Labneh and Roasted Cauliflower Puree, Adob and Brown Butter Sauce, Pepper Relish. He followed with a Joe Van Gogh™ Coffee and Balsamic Marinated Certified Angus Beef® Ribeye, Herbed Barley, Coffee Steeped Mushrooms, Peruvian Coffee Jus, Honey Glazed Bacon, Parsnips, Wilted Greens, Mascarpone Sweet Potatoes, Candied Pecans. The dessert course was the highest scoring dish of the evening: Joe Van Gogh™ Cappuccino Cheesecake, Peruvian Chocolate Cake, Ethiopian Crème Patissiere.

Chef Kirsten Mitchell’s highest scoring dish of the night was Joe Van Gogh™ Coffee Crusted Sous Vide Certified Angus Beef® Ribeye, Old Mill of Guilford Grits Cake, Coffee Mole, Citrus Salad, Beef Taco, Poblano Puree.
Culinary and professional judges for the evening included Olivier Andreini, executive chef of the Country Club of Landfall; Andy Hopper, the 2012 Fire on the Dock champion; and Gerry Fong, the 2013 Fire on the Dock champion and executive chef of Persimmons Restaurant in New Bern, N.C. Their votes were weighted at 30 percent. The dining public’s votes were weighted at 70 percent. Official event blogger Liz Biro joined the judges as a non-voting guest. Her summary of the event will post at http://lizbirodailydish.com/.

Chef Antoine Murray will now compete in November at Final Fire: Battle of the Champions against the Got To Be NC Competition Dining Champions from Asheville, Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle.

ABOUT GOT TO BE NC COMPETITION DINING SERIES™

The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series, in its third year, is part of a larger movement. With a focus on chefs, farmers, and diners, the event’s mission is to connect and celebrate this unique community through a dynamic, entertaining dining experience.

Statewide sponsors for the event include the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef®, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, and the N.C. Wine & Grape Council.

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For more information, contact Kristen Baughman at (919) 750-5712 mobile or kbaughman@pdco.com (PR Specialist)
or
Susan Dosier at (704) 993-7871 mobile or susan@DKcommunicationsgroup.com (PR Consultant)

www.competitiondining.com offers event dates, ticket sales, and bios on participating chefs
www.facebook.com/competitiondining offers daily news and updates, photos of chef dishes and more
www.youtube.com/user/CompDiningNC shares videos of the winner after each competition, video bios on each chef and more
www.Twitter.com/compdiningnc uses the hashtag #compdiningnc to enjoy the fun, ongoing conversation

www.Instagram.com/compdiningnc shares photos of the chefs, dishes and more

Pair of Wilmington chefs to face off in Fire on the Dock finals

Chef Kirsten Mitchell of 1900 Restaurant and Chef Antoine Murray of Cape Fear Country Club face off Monday in the FINAL Fire on the Dock battle! Port City Foodies has details.

Chef Antoine Murray of Cape Fear Country Club chosen for Fire on the Dock final battle

WWAY has the details of last night's battle, Chef Antoine Murray of Cape Fear Country Club defeated Chef Clarke Merrell of Circa 81.

Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series Announces Fire on the Rock Chefs and Brackets

The statewide chef competition highlighting the best of the state’s food, agriculture and culinary talent hits the road in March, and the event is coming to Asheville, NC. It’s the only contest where THE DINERS get to judge. Diners who buy tickets will also be contributing to our local charitable partner, the Downtown Welcome Table. Reservations for each night of food and fun are available at www.competitiondining.com.

IMAGES AVAILABLE AT FLICKR: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjRRU4qP

Asheville, NC (Feb. 5, 2014) The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series, Fire on the Rock, announces the participating chefs in the competition. The seven competitive dinners will be hosted at the Lioncrest at Biltmore located at 1 Lodge Street, Asheville, NC; http://www.biltmore.com/groups-weddings/occasions/venues/lioncrest.

The series begins on March 10 and concludes on March 31. Chefs from across western NC were invited to apply for the competition. The final eight contenders were announced today during the Media Day Kick-Off Party hosted at Highland Brewing Company. The preliminary match-ups are listed below with each chef heading a team of three:

March 10: Vidalia, Boone (Samuel Ratchford) vs. Strada Italiano, Asheville (Anthony Cerrato)

March 11: ISIS Restaurant and Music Hall, Asheville (Mike Mahoney) vs. Season’s at Highland Lake Inn & Resort, Flat Rock (Michelle Bailey)

March 17: Gamekeeper Restaurant & Bar, Boone (Edwin Bloodworth) vs. Ambrozia Bar & Bistro, Asheville (Sam Etheridge)

March 18: King James Public House, Asheville (Steven Goff) vs. Lexington Avenue Brewery, Asheville (Michael Fisera)

March 24: Battle between winner of March 10 and March 11 (semifinals)

March 25: Battle between winner of March 17 and March 18 (semifinals)

March 31: Battle between winner of March 24 and March 25 (finals)

Fire on the Rock also announced a new partnership with the Downtown Welcome Table based in Asheville, NC. The Downtown Welcome Table serves lunch at the Haywood Street Congregation every Wednesday to hundreds of community members in need. Inspired by the Asheville restaurants that have come together to support the Downtown Welcome Table, Fire on the Rock will support this organization during this series. For every ticket sold at Fire on the Rock events, the Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series will donate a meal to the Downtown Welcome Table for a person in need. In addition, dining guests will also have the option of making additional monetary donations when they purchase tickets to Fire on the Rock.

The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series is part of a larger movement. Because we are all chefs, farmers, or diners, our mission is to connect and celebrate this community through a dynamic, entertaining experience.

Sponsors include the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef®, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, and the NC Wine & Grape Council.

HOW IT WORKS: Paying guests will savor each course in a blind tasting alongside a panel of culinary and celebrity judges in a series of seven dinner competitions. Each evening, two restaurants “battle” it out side-by-side in a single elimination format. Guests savor a six-course menu (three dishes from each chef without knowing whose food they’re tasting) created around a “featured” ingredient. For each dinner, the ingredient will come from a North Carolina farmer or artisan producer. The featured ingredient is revealed to the chefs only an hour before they start cooking, and it must be used in each of the three courses.

Diners, alongside culinary and guest judges, will rate each dish and determine who moves on to the next round and who goes home. At stake in each series is a grand prize of $2,000, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge in Charlotte, and the coveted “Red Chef Jacket.” The runner-up receives $500. Reservations for dinners cost $59 excluding beverage, tax and tip. Reservations for the semi-finals and final are $69. Diners can attend as many dinners as they like. Reservations open now at www.competitiondining.com. Hurry. Reservations go fast.

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For more information, contact Kristen Baughman at (919) 750-5712 mobile or kbaughman@pdco.com (PR Specialist)

or

Susan Dosier at (704) 993-7871 mobile or susan@DKcommunicationsgroup.com (PR Consultant)

www.competitiondining.com offers event dates, ticket sales, and bios on participating chefs

www.facebook.com/competitiondining offers daily news and updates, photos of chef dishes and more

www.youtube.com/user/CompDiningNC shares videos of the winner after each competition, video bios on each chef and more

www.Twitter.com/compdiningnc uses the hashtag #compdiningnc to enjoy the fun, ongoing conversation

www.Instagram.com/compdiningnc shares photos of the chefs, dishes and more

Chef Kirsten Mitchell of 1900 Restaurant & Lounge Wins Battle Texas Pete Cha!

Thanks to Susan Boyles of the Eat Wilmington blog for her recap of Battle Texas Pete Hot Sauce Cha! Congrats again to Chef Kirsten Mitchell of 1900 Restaurant & Lounge. It was a close one and Chef Katie Carter of The Olive Cafe & Wine Bar cooked her heart out, too!