This week at the Got To Be NC Competition Dining saw some amazing battles between our local chefs using local ingredients. These battles connect the chef, the farmer and the diner. It is so fun…so exciting!  As a diner, YOU get to judge the dishes. What makes it extra special is you don’t know going in what the featured ingredient will be and you have no idea (nor should you guess) which chef made which dish. Keep reading to find out how you can join us this Monday. Click the link for tickets and join us for the fun!

Chef Michael Harkenreader, Undercurrent

Chef Kevin Reddick, The Screaming Radish

We were media guests this past Monday as The Screaming Radish Food Truck Chef Kevin Reddick battled Chef Michael Harkenreader in Battle Black Mountain Chocolate and Bertie County Peanuts…hereby dubbed “Battle Peanuts and Chocolate.” Are you allergic? I hope not because you’d miss out on something tasty. Here are the photos from the night along with the scores.

COURSE 1 Smoked Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork Shoulder, Black Mountain Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wonton, Bertie County Blister Fried Peanut Sauce, Strawberry-Chili Purée, Pickled Beets, Foy Farms Radish Microgreen Chef Michael Harkenreader Voter Score: 27.623 Pro Score: 24.667

COURSE 2 Braised Veal Cheek, Bertie County Peanut Soubise, The Specialty Farmer Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Grilled Scallion, Pickled Big Oaks Natural Farm Garlic Scapes, Foy Farms Pea Shoots, Foy Farms Lionhead Mushrooms, Foy Farms Radish Microgreens Chef Kevin Reddick Voter Score: 29.136 Pro Score: 27.333 Weighted Score: 28.595

COURSE 3 Black Mountain Chocolate Cocoa Nib-Sea Salt Rubbed Certified Angus Beef® Brand Ribeye, Benton’s Bacon-Bertie County Peanut Risotto, The Specialty Farmer Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots, Britt Farms Asparagus, Black Mountain Chocolate Dark Chocolate Glace, Dried Cherry Aioli Chef Michael Harkenreader Voter Score: 31.738 Pro Score: 30.333 Weighted Score: 31.316

COURSE 4 Sous Vide Maple Leaf Farms Breast of Duck, Black Mountain Chocolate-Bertie County Peanut Sauce Molé, Chimmichurri, Goat Lady Dairy “Classic Chèvre” Spiked Coldwater Creek Farms Grits, Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio, Crispy Leeks Chef Kevin Reddick Voter Score: 25.918 Pro Score: 25.000 Weighted Score: 25.623

COURSE 5 Black Mountain Chocolate Dark Chocolate-Sea Salt Ganache, Bertie County Peanut Meringue, Cloister Wildflower Honey Buttercream, Cactus Creek Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee Ice, Bertie County Blister Fried Peanut Sauce Chef Michael Harkenreader Voter Score: 31.344 Pro Score: 31.000 Weighted Score: 31.241

COURSE 6 Roasted Bertie County Peanut-Black Mountain Chocolate Dark Chocolate Panna Cotta, Chocolate Laced Iberico Bacon, Candied Peanuts, Black Mountain Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Pickled Blackberries, Balsamic Jelly, Berry Coulis Chef Kevin Reddick Voter Score: 31.373 Pro Score: 20.667 Weighted Score: 28.161

On Tuesday, Chef Christian Froelich of Hearth at Sanders Ridge battled Chef Anders Benton…Winner: Chef Froelich. He’ll take on Chef Harkenreader on June 16 in the quarterfinal round. On Wednesday night, Gianno’s of High Point/Giada’s Trattoria of Kernersville Chef David Nicoletta took on Meridian chef Mark Grohman…Winner: Chef Nicoletta, he’ll battle the winner of Monday, June 8’s battle.

So want to see how it will shake out?

Again, we’re headed back for a special night as I represent YES! Weekly and triadfoodies on a special night!

We’ll be headed to Winston-Salem as media guests at “Got To Be NC” Competition Dining on Monday, June 8. So excited! Chefs competing that night will be Chef Travis Myers of River Birch Lodge in Winston-Salem and Chef Alex Pierce of Greensboro Country Club. If you follow Travis on Twitter you know he’s a huge fan of Competition Dining, a great sport and an awesome chef!

USE THIS LINK to purchase tickets. Let’s get a whole group together and make it a truly fun evening!

More about “Got to Be NC” Competition Dining:

The “Got To Be NC” Competition Dining Series is an emotionally inspiring interactive dining experience connecting the chef, the farmer and the diner. Each evening, two restaurants battle it out in a neutral kitchen location. Diners will rate each dish on an app downloaded to their smart device ultimately deciding who goes on and who goes home! This year, Raleigh, Charlotte and Winston-Salem host the high-pressure series.

YOU BE THE JUDGE! is what differentiates us from all other cooking competitions. As our guest, you savor a full service “blind” six course dinner (3 dishes from each team) that revolves around a featured NC ingredient. As you dine, you’re voting on criteria such as, presentation, aroma, flavor, creativity and more. “Share” your dishes with your friends on social media right from the app! Get live peeks behind the scenes, watch interviews with the chefs and experience the intensity as the scores are revealed right in front of you.