The Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination
tournament highlighting
the best of the Carolina’s food, agriculture and culinary talent, has named a
regional winner for the Greenville series. Chef Todd Warden of The Cliffs Valley
in Greenville
took home the title last night in the battle of pork and local produce after
rising to the top of the 14-chef regional tournament that started Aug. 3.
Chef Warden now moves on to the Got to Be NC
Competition Dining Series Battle of Champions this October in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He will compete against four other top chefs who each won regional tournaments, all in hopes of
taking home the coveted annual championship title. Foodies from the Carolinas
and beyond are invited to attend the four live
dinner events Oct. 28 to 31, savoring the full-service, six-course meals and
serving as judges. Tickets to these interactive battles go on sale Thursday, Sept.
24 at 7 p.m. at www.competitiondining.com and are
guaranteed to sell out quickly.
The five chefs competing in the Battle of Champions randomly drew knives
to determine the bracket, and the schedule is as follows:
- Wednesday,
Oct. 28: Ryan Conklin, Rex Healthcare (Raleigh, North Carolina) vs. Joseph
Cornett, The Flipside Café (Fort Mill)
- Thursday,
Oct. 29: Richard Miller, Graze (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) vs. Oct. 28
winner
- Friday,
Oct. 30: Todd
Warden, TheCliffs Valley (Greenville)
vs. Brent Martin, The Summit Room (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Saturday,
Oct. 31: Oct. 29 winner vs. Oct. 30 winner
Each of the Battle of Champions dinner events, just as at all dinners
throughout the year-long series, includes two chef teams battling it out
preparing three courses centered on a featured ingredient that comes from a regional
farmer or artisan producer. Featured ingredients are revealed to the chefs the
morning of the dinner event and must be used in each course.
“This is going to be an extremely competitive championship series,” said
Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host. “The level of
culinary talent this year has exceeded all expectations and we’re confident the
four Battle of Champions dinner events will be an impressive culmination of the
fun and creativity we’ve seen and tasted throughout 2015.”
To
earn his spot in the Battle of Champions, Chef Todd Warden had to defeat Chef Bo
Wilder of Henry’s Smokehouse in the final Greenville competition. In front of a
sold out crowd of more than 160 people, the event pitted the chefs against
each other with featured ingredient, Greenbrier Farms pork loins and jowls.
Also, for the first time in competition history, the chefs started
their final battle day shopping. The two teams were each allotted $300 to spend at Swamp
Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and they had to use at least one local produce item in
every course. Both chefs came within cents of their budget at
checkout.
At the end of the night, the highest scoring dish
of the battle was Warden’s first course, which included braised
Greenbrier Farms pork jowl, ricotta gnocchi, roasted organic brussels sprouts,
caramelized Hopkins Farm candy roaster squash, sage brown butter and The Happy
Berry muscadine gastrique. (See complete scores and dishes here.)
“I didn’t get much sleep the night before our final
battle, so it ended up being a long day of running on almost nothing but
adrenaline,” said Chef Warden. “A big highlight of my night was when I dedicated
our big win to my father, who passed away earlier this year. Although he
couldn’t be there, I know he was cheering me on in spirit at every battle,
especially last night!”
As part of his regional championship winnings, Warden’s
team – which includes chefs Kevin Furmanek and Scott Denomme – took home a
$2,000 cash prize, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge and the coveted “Red
Chef Jacket” provided by ALSCO.
As they move on to the Battle of Champions, the
five chef teams will all compete for bragging rights, a grand prize of $4,000 cash, two handmade
chef knives by Ironman Forge and a trip to the Culinary Institute of America at
Greystone in Napa Valley, California, compliments of Kikkoman and the Pro Chef
Program. All Battle of Champions events are held at Renaissance NorthHills Raleigh, located at 4100 Main at North Hills Street. Tickets to attend the
first three battles are $129 each excluding beverage, tax and service fee.
Tickets for the final championship battle are $149 each excluding beverage, tax
and service fee. Learn more and buy tickets starting Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7
p.m. via www.competitiondining.com.
About Competition
Dining Series
The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series has hosted annual chef
tournaments throughout North Carolina for years with the goal of celebrating
local products and agriculture, and showcasing the culinary ingenuity and
talent across the state. It is sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture
& Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef®,
Pepsi Bottling Ventures, ALSCO, NC Egg Association, Hits Technology and Joyce
Farms. For the first time ever, Competition Dining expanded outside North
Carolina in 2015 with a series in Greenville, South Carolina. For more
information, visit www.competitiondining.com or get in on the
conversation at www.facebook.com/competitiondining and @CompDiningNC on Twitter or Instagram.
