Photo courtesy of Competition Dining Series
Can you hear the sound of knives sharpening? The Competition Dining Series is coming to Greenville – the first time South Carolina has been invited to compete in this highly interactive tournament featuring food, fun and cooking frenzy. Competing chef teams will battle it out from Monday, August 3rd through Monday, September 7th at a series of evening events to be held at Larkin’s Sawmill, where local foodies will enjoy culinary creativity as well as influence the outcome of the contest.
The single-elimination throwdown will pit a total of 14 North and South Carolina chefs against each other who will prepare three courses utilizing a “secret regional ingredient” only revealed the day of the cook-off. Diners will enjoy a full service, six-course meal that highlights South Carolina’s agricultural offerings, without knowing which chef prepared which dish. Guests will then vote on each course to determine who moves on to the next battle round.
According to Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host, “With the ongoing fan enthusiasm throughout North Carolina for the Competition Dining Series, we decided it wasn’t fair that only one state was having all the fun. Going to our neighbors in South Carolina, and specifically Greenville, is a natural extension considering the remarkable culinary talent residing there. In addition, Greenville is the perfect city to host this tournament because of its vibrant foodie community and beautiful downtown scene.”
A few of the participating Greenville chefs going whisk to whisk include Jennifer Barone of Stellar Restaurant & Wine Bar, Charlie Brown of Local Cue, Teryi Youngblood of Passerelle Bistro, Samuel Murry of 21 East, Bo Wilder of Henry’s Smokehouse and Todd Warden of The Cliffs Valley. North Carolina chefs include Nohe Weir-Villatoro of King James Public House, Ryan Kline of Buffalo Nickel, Eden Roorda of oneFiftyone Boutique Bar & Kitchen, all from Asheville, and Blake Hartwick of Bonterra Dining & Wine Room in Charlotte.
During 2015, Competition Dining Series bracketed tournaments were held in Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Charlotte in North Carolina and the winners along with the South Carolina winner will go on to compete in the Battle of Champions held at the end of the year. The final competitor will receive a trip to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif. along with various other prizes.
Competition Dining tickets, priced from $55 to $75, can be purchased via the event website.
