Statewide Chef Competition Comes to Raleigh Offering
15 Fun, Interactive Dinner Events Starting Jan. 19
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 of
North Carolina’s most competitive chefs against each other in the upcoming Triangle
events. The series includes 15 dinner experiences in which two chefs
battle it out
and diners from the community and across the state serve as judges for a blind six-course
meal. Tickets to the interactive dinner battles, which take place Jan.
19 through March 2 in Raleigh, are available now at http://www.competitiondining.com/events/2015-triangle.
Chefs from across the state 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. The Got to Be NC
Competition Dining Series’ Triangle chefs and preliminary match-up battles
include:
First-Round Brackets
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 every 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 the dishes using an interactive app, ultimately determining who moves on
to the next round and who goes home.
“This year’s Triangle tournament features an exciting lineup of chefs who
are sure to impress foodies throughout the region,” said Jimmy Crippen, Competition
Dining Series founder and host. “The competition’s interactive dinner events
connect communities and foster a dynamic atmosphere to celebrate North
Carolina’s culinary talents and agriculture – because we are all chefs, farmers
or diners. At the battles you’ll see families, loved ones and friends both new
and old socializing and debating, while people at home are following along through
live Tweets (using the hashtag #CompDiningNC). The innovative culinary
creations and passion that emerges as locals cheer on their hometown favorites is
what makes each dinner just as exciting as the last.”
The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is unlike any other dinner
experience in the country. It hosts three regional tournaments throughout the
year, including the surrounding markets for Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem.
For 2015, some of the most competitive chefs from around the state will compete
until a final winner emerges in each area.
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, all
regional winners move on to compete in the battle of champions at the end of
the year.
Along with the preliminary battles listed previously, Got to Be NC
Competition Dining Series’ Triangle events include:
Quarterfinals
- Feb. 9 Dinner:
Jan. 19 winner versus Jan. 20 winner
- Feb. 10 Dinner:
Jan. 21 winner versus Jan. 26 winner
- Feb. 16 Dinner:
Jan. 27 winner versus Jan. 28 winner
- Feb. 17 Dinner:
Feb. 2 winner versus Feb. 3 winner
Semifinals
- Feb. 23 Dinner:
Feb. 9 winner versus Feb. 10 winner
- Feb. 24 Dinner:
Feb. 16 winner versus Feb. 17 winner
Final Battle (Triangle
championship event)
- March 2 Dinner:
Feb. 23 winner versus Feb. 24 winner
All Triangle events are held at 1705 Prime, located at 1705
E. Millbrook in Raleigh. Tickets to attend a preliminary battle cost $55 each
and tickets for a quarterfinal battle are $59 each, excluding beverage, tax and
service fee. Tickets to attend a semifinal battle cost $69 each and tickets for
the final competition are $75 each, excluding beverage, tax and service fee. 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, 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.
