From all of those who apply for the NCRLA Chef Showdown, 50 chefs from across the state will be invited to participate in one of 5 preliminary rounds across the state: New Bern, Charlotte, Asheville, Greensboro and Chapel Hill. Each of these are private events where chefs present a dish to a panel of three judges.
In both the preliminary and regional rounds chefs will be given a presentation time and will be expected to arrive at the preliminary or regional venue about 1 1/2 hours ahead of their designated time slot. We will take head shots of each chef at each of the preliminary rounds. In the case of your chefs in Hendersonville, your preliminary round would be in Asheville on June 3 and then the regional round would be in Charlotte on August 19.
Each venue has a full kitchen where chefs will prepare 4-5 plates of the same dish for a photo plate and plates to present to the judges. Chefs may bring ingredients and dishes prepped and done ahead of time so they can just finish things off and plate in the host kitchen or, if they would like and time allows, they may prepare the dish from beginning to end in the host kitchen.
Once chefs have presented to the judges they will be free to leave. Each chef is allowed one sous chef in the kitchen to prep and plate if needed. Each chef may also bring along 2 guests or PR people to observe. Guests and PR representatives may not be in the kitchen while chefs are prepping.
For the complete set of rules see the NC Chef Showdown website here – https://www.ncrla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NCRLA-Chef-Showdown-Rules_2019_final.pdf
Then, based on scores , 20 chefs will move on to one of 3 statewide regional rounds in Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington, again just chefs presenting to a panel of 3-4 judges.
The same panel of judges will be at each of the regional rounds. The winners will be selected based on the scores from the regional rounds.
All chefs invited to regionals will go on to the Showdown in Durham at Bay 7 on Sept 30 where they will cook the same dish they prepared for the regional competition. This year chefs won’t have to stress over cooking for judges at the big event, just for the crowd of 350-400 ( sample sized plates) Showdown-goers, who will be voting for People’s Choice winners.
Winners (selected based on the regional scores) will announced the evening of Sept 30th. The results: the 2019 NCRLA Chef of the Year and the 2019 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year. The prize package for each of these championships includes $250 cash and the honor of becoming a member of the 2019 NC Department of Agriculture’s team of Culinary Ambassadors.
The cocktail competition between six NC distilleries represented by six NC mixologists will take place at the Sept 30 Showdown as we have done before.
This year, the applying North Carolina distilleries will team up with a North Carolina mixologist of their choice as a part of the application process. Of all the distillery/mixology teams to apply, six distilleries and the mixologists they have paired up with will be invited to attend the Sept 30 NC Chef Showdown in Durham.
Here each bar will serve the crowd a cocktail specifically crafted for the occassion featuring all local ingredients; and then at a specified time each mixologist will present and craft his or her cocktail on stage in front of a trio of judges. The result: the 2019 NCRLA Mixologist and Distiller of the Year.
If have a mixologist who might be interested in teaming with a NC distillery you can visit the website for Rules specific to distilleries and mixologists: see page 4 – https://www.ncrla.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NCRLA-Chef-Showdown-Rules_2019_final.pdf
Sponsored in part by the NC Dept of Agriculture, this event is once again all about supporting local farmers and producers by showcasing GotToBeNC proteins, produce and product on the plate and in the glass.
Applications are being accepted now through April 17.
