Competition Dining Quarterfinals Begin
Mama Ricotta's, BLT Steak, and King James Public House Advance
The #GotToBeNC Competition Dining Series in Charlotte is in its first week of the quarterfinals. Following the same rules as the previous weeks, a chef and two teammates cooked three courses using secret ingredients sourced from North Carolina. The ingredients this time included peanuts, organic grains, and ham, which were revealed to the chefs the morning of their contest. Guests with tickets to the event tasted each dish blindly, scoring them on an app. Three chef judges voted, with 30 percent of the final score coming from the chefs' scores and the remainder coming from the audience vote. Three battles have taken place so far in this round. Here's how they turned out:
Sunday, April 12:
Chefs: Chef Tom Dyrness of Mama Ricotta’s and Chef Ryan Forte of Southminster Retirement Community
Surprise ingredient: Bertie County Peanuts
Audience pick: Dyrness (31.195) over Forte (28.014)
Pro pick: Forte (32.444) over Dyrness (26.444)
Advancing: Dyrness, with a score of 29.76972302 to Forte’s 29.34324835
Dyrness’ highest-scoring dish of the night (pictured, right): Flourless Chocolate Torte, Roasted Bertie County Peanut-Chocolate Glaze, Peanut Butter Mousse, Blackberry Jam, Sea Salt Caramel (weighted score: 31.276)
Monday, April 13:
Chefs: Chef Steven Goff of King James Public House and Chef Paul Verica of Heritage Food & Drink
Surprise ingredient: Coldwater Creek Farms Organic Grains
Audience pick: Goff (27.612) over Verica (27.271)
Pro pick: Goff (29.667) over Verica (26.889)
Advancing: Goff, with a score of 28.22840000 to Verica’s 27.15630810
Goff’s highest-scoring dish of the night (pictured, right): Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Coldwater Creek Farms Organic Corn Cake, Sweet Corn Caramel, Bayne Brewing Company Hefeweizen Macerated NC Berries, Tarragon (weighted score: 29.096)
Tuesday, April 14:
Chefs: Chef David Moore of Gallery Restaurant and Chef Ben Miles of BLT Steak
Surprise ingredient: Goodnight Brothers Carolina Cured Ham & Goat Lady Dairy “Lindale”
Audience pick: Miles (28.446) over Moore (25.435)
Pro pick: Moore (26.222) over Miles (25.111)
Advancing: Miles, with a score of 27.44558824 to Moore’s 25.67145136
Miles’ highest-scoring dish of the night (pictured, right): Goat Lady Dairy “Lindale” & Cornmeal Short Cake, “Soured” Cream, Goodnight Brothers Carolina Cured Ham, Strawberries, Marcona Almond Crumble, Orange Blossom Honey (weighted score: 27.809)
