Monday, November 25, 2013

New Bern chef Gerry Fong of Persimmons makes good showing at statewide cooking competition

New Bern chef Gerry Fong of Persimmons makes good showing at statewide cooking competition. The Sun Journal has the recap.

Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill in Asheville takes the Final Fire Crown

Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill in Asheville takes the Final Fire Crown in a close battle against Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille in Winston-Salem. WRAL Out and About has the recap from the Final Fire Grand Finale.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Asheville Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill Wins Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series Final Fire Battle of the Champions

After a year of 79 competition dining events and 54,000 dishes created in Asheville, Blowing Rock, Charlotte, Wilmington, the Triangle and the Triad, the Final Fire statewide showdown beganWednesday night. Last night, with two chefs left standing, Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill edged out Chef John Bobby of Noble’s Grille in Winston-Salem.

IMAGES AVAILABLE ON FLICKR

Raleigh, NC (Nov. 24, 2013) In the most competitive and heated battle of the year, Chef Adam Hayes’ Red Stag Grill team from Asheville edged out Winston-Salem’s Noble’s Grille team led by Chef John Bobby. At each series battle, chefs are required to use one (or two) featured NC products in each of their courses. Last night's featured products included Black Winter Périgord truffles and truffle honey from Keep Your Fork Farm in King, NC. Each chef team prepared three courses using both truffle products for 170 diners in a sold-out ballroom at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel.

Hayes’ highest scoring dish of the evening was dessert: Orange-Scented Brioche Doughnut with Truffle Honey Crème, Cashew Truffle Tuille, Saldo Zinfandel Gastrique, Caramelized White Chocolate Mousse, Keep Your Fork Farm Truffle Dulce de Leche. John Bobby’s highest score of the evening was a dish that caused quite the buzz on Twitter: Keep Your Fork Farm Truffle Honey Glazed Cheshire Pork Belly, Truffle Spoon Bread, Calvados Creamed Spinach, Mushroom Duxelle, Truffle Crema, Cipollini Onion Agrodolce, Yuca Chips.

Culinary pro judges for the evening included Ryan Payne, the 2012 Final Fire champion and executive chef of Weathervane at Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC; Vivian Howard of Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC and star of hit TV show, A Chef’s Life; and Southern Living Deputy Editor Jennifer V. Cole. Culinary pro scores counted 70 percent for the evening. The diner scores counted 30 percent. Caroline Brown of The Daily Meal was a special guest.

A $4000 check was presented to Hayes by Mac Sullivan, chief executive officer of Pate Dawson-Southern Foods and Jimmy Crippen, event host and founder of the Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series. Bobby’s team received a $1000 check. Ironman Forge in Charlotte presented a custom, handmade set of chef knives to the champion, Hayes.

Jon Fortes of Mimosa Grill in Charlotte, Dean Thompson of Flights in Raleigh, and Gerry Fong of Persimmons in New Bern were the regional winners who competed in Final Fire this week. “Good sportsmanship and integrity mean everything to Competition Dining, and these five chefs represent this sport impressively,” says Crippen.

For scores and complete details of last night’s NC food extravaganza, visit http://www.competitiondining.com/results/nobles-grille-v-red-stag-grill.

ABOUT GOT TO BE NC COMPETITION DINING SERIES
The Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series, in its second 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. Each statewide competition features 16 chefs and 15 single-elimination dinner battles judged by the public. Final Fire is part of the Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series.

Statewide sponsors for the event include the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, OUR STATE Magazine, Certified Angus Beef, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Swisher Hygiene, and Competition Dining LLC.

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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

Friday, November 22, 2013

Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille Wins Battle Pecans

Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille in Winston-Salem defeated Chef Dean Thompson of Flights in Raleigh in Battle Pecans. The battle was close and WRAL Out and About has all of the details.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille Wins Battle Cheerwine & Cackalacky

If you missed the Competition Dining Final Fire action, WRAL Out and About has the scoop on the Cheerwine and Cackalacky Sweet Cheerwine Sauce battle. Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille takes home the win in a close battle with Chef Jon Fortes of Mimosa Grill.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes from Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille

Chef John Bobby recently appeared on the Good Morning Show on WFMY News 2. Check out some of these great side dishes he made on TV!

Meet Final Fire’s first Clandestine Combo: Cheerwine and Cacklacky Cheerwine Sauce

In addition to blogging about Final Fire, Heidi Billotto will also blog about each night’s secret ingredients – the all local heart and sole of each night of Competition Dining. Meet Final Fire’s first Clandestine Combo: Cheerwine and Cacklacky Cheerwine Sauce on Heidi's blog.

North Carolina Competition Dining Series Reaches Final Fire via The Daily Meal

For months, chefs around North Carolina have competed head-to-head in an 'Iron Chef'-like battle, with secret ingredients and judges, and now only 6 remain in this weekend's Final Fire competition. The Daily Meal has the latest article on our Final Fire chefs.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Final Fire profile: Dean Thompson of Flights

WRAL Out and About has the details on Chef Dean Thompson of Flights in Raleigh.

Final Fire profile: Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill

WRAL Out and About has all of the details on Chef Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill in Asheville.

Final Fire Profile: Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille

WRAL Out and About has the details on Chef John Bobby of Noble's Grille in Winston-Salem.

Kitty Kinnin's Sound Palate with Chef Adam Hayes

Chef Series – Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill at The Grand Bohemian in Asheville chats about his upcoming Competition Dining Final Fire on Kitty Kinnin's Sound Palate (& wait ’til you hear one of his pairings!).