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Competition Dining Summer14_2.qx8:cl_pages_70-71 5/4/14 2:14 AM Page 70
VERY CULINARY
Competition Dining
Heats Up Across The State
North Carolina’s Favorite Culinary Sport Is On Fire
BY HEIDI BILLOTTO
And the competition is heating up – North
together as a small event, a simple way to help
sage. From the start Jimmy teamed with local fire
Carolina’s own special brand of culinary sport –
promote Blowing Rock restaurants during the area’s
fighters to emphasize that the number one cause of
Competition Dining is well on its way into the 2014
off-season.
home fires – sad to say – is cooking. To make the
season. The competition comes to Charlotte in
To make it even more fun, Jimmy set up the com-
public more aware, each Competition Dining dinner
August, and Charlotte’s rendition is called Fire in the
petition voting structure to be interactive and made
kicks off with a fire safety message – hence all the
City. Dinners heat up on August 18 running through
the dinner guests the final judges. In the early years,
“fire” references for this heated culinary battlefield.
September 29, but you don’t have to wait till then to
there were paper ballots, but today technology has
The overall concept was so well received, by the
fan the flames and to join in on all the fun.
stepped in, and via an app developed by Charlotte
dining public and culinary professionals alike, that
If you have always thought you could do better
technology guru, Derrick Sanderson, voting takes
Jimmy has opted to slowly expand the concept over
than judges on Bravo’s and The Food Network’s
place on individual smart phones. Each guest votes
the years. Now with the help of the NC Department
award winning culinary shows “Top Chef” or “Iron
on each of the six courses of the evening based on
of Agriculture and a partnership with family run,
Chef”, here is your chance. All year long, in five dif-
taste, aroma, eye appeal, etc. without knowing
Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, a statewide distribu-
ferent regions of the Tarheel state, chefs from the
which chef prepared each dish. In the end the votes
tor of a number of locally-raised and harvested NC
finest restaurants pair up against each other going
are tallied, and a winner for each evening of the
produce and products headquartered in the
head to head, each prepping a three-course dinner
competition is announced. The competition is a
Greensboro area, Jimmy has been afforded the abil-
using a secret ingredient from North Carolina, and
bracketed tournament, set up much like a sporting
ity to take the show on the road. In the past several
you, the dining public, get to be the judge!
event, where winners of the prelim events move
years, other food and restaurant-centric NC compa-
The magical mix of promoting the vast array of
into the quarter and semi finals, and eventually a
nies have also become Competition Dining sponsors,
culinary talent of North Carolina’s finest chef-driven
Final Fire event to determine an overall winner.
and Jimmy has been able to grow the Competition
restaurants with the quality and quantity of NC’s
Winners receive the coveted red Competition Dining
Dining concept the point that he sold his Blowing
local ingredients is the brainchild of entrepreneur
chefs’ jacket, a check for $2000, a hand forged knife
Rock restaurant and B&B and now works the
and former Blowing Rock restaurateur, Jimmy
from bladesmith, Steve Watkins in Charlotte and of
Competition Dining circuit full time.
Crippen. It all started in 2005 as a part of the First
course, the all important regional bragging rights.
Blue Ridge Wine & Food Festival. Jimmy put it
70 | C H A R LOT TE L I V I N G
In addition, the dinners are not without a mes-
To date there are five different Competition
Dining Series that take place across the state
Competition Dining Summer14_2.qx8:cl_pages_70-71 5/4/14 2:14 AM Page 71
through the course of the year: Fire on the Dock – In
The chef refs help to facilitate the prep and plating
early August. Buy your tickets early as these dinners
Wilmington in January/February; Fire on the Rock,
so that all goes smoothly and see to it that compet-
sell out fast. It’s a hot commodity, don’t miss out!
this year in Asheville in late February and March;
ing chefs enjoy the heat in the kitchen, working side
Looking forward to Competition Dining with you
Fire in the Triad, taking place in Greensboro in April
by side with other area chefs, building relationships
soon! ✱
and May; Fire in the Triangle, this year in Raleigh,
in their individual culinary communities and net-
June 23 - August 4; and Fire in the City, in Charlotte
working along the way.
August 18 - September 29. The year of North
The media for these chefs isn’t bad either. Local
Carolina’s favorite culinary sport ends with the Final
and regional television, radio, print and internet
Fire brackets, held in Raleigh, November 19-22
reporters, hosts and bloggers, this food writer
where each of the regional winners come together
included, have attended dinners as guest media
to battle each other for best in the state bragging
judges and have given each of these chefs a good bit
rights, a $5000 check and host of other prizes.
of press, which in turn drives diners across the state
To me the most important end result, besides the
to all of these North Carolina restaurants.
fabulous food, is the fun. The dining audience,
In the midst of the 2013 Fire in the City series in
hosted each evening by the oh, so charismatic and
Charlotte, it became apparent that our friends at The
dynamic Jimmy Crippen, becomes energized and
Food Network were attracted to the light from the
has an incredible time. Food lovers living vicariously,
Competition Dining fires as well. Individual chefs
following course by course posts each evening on
started getting calls and invitations to apply for cast-
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (look for @comp-
ing calls. Several across the state got accepted and
diningNC or #compdiningNC) seem to enjoy it and
have already taped several shows, including the
comment often about each dish; but the chefs are
upcoming series of Cut Throat Kitchen with Alton
the ones who really come out ahead.
Brown – we’ll keep you posted on air dates and
These dinners, which require day long prepara-
results.
tion from the time they learn the Got To Be NC
If we have whet your palate for a taste of
“secret ingredient” at a chef’s meeting in the morn-
Competition Dining, it’s not too late to get in on the
ing, give chefs a chance to step out of the box and
heat of the action. Tickets for remaining Fire in the
challenge their culinary skills. Chefs have a team
Triad dinners, upcoming Fire in the Triangle dinners
of three and cook from a bevy of pantry items
and upcoming Fire in the City dinners are available
provided by PateDawson-Southern Foods and
online via the Competition Dining website at
selected by the competition dining “chef refs”, two
CompetitionDining.com. Competing chefs for the
of Pate Dawson’s corporate chefs, Laurence Willard
Fire in the Triangle events will be announced in mid
and Billy Seay.
June; chefs for the Fire in the City competition in
Heidi with chef refs and teams from Mimosa
grill and Roosters for the Fire in the City
Charlotte Living food editor and culinary writer Heidi
Billotto is the official blogger for Competition Dining’s
Fire in the City and has recently been hired by Jimmy
Crippen and the Competition Dining team to be the
smiling face behind all of the Competition Dining
social media. Follow Heidi at Heidi Billotto on
Facebook and Instagram and @HeidiCooks on
Twitter; or on @compdiningNc on Twitter and
Competition Dining on Facebook. Heidi’s blog,
HeidiBillottoFood.com will feature Competition
Dining posts all throughout the season.
2013 regional winners with
chef refs and Jimmy Crippen
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