April 10th, 2012 was our first heat in this years WNC Magazine Wine and Food Festival Chefs Challenge. We competed against the Red Stag Grill from the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Asheville. It was quite an evening with amazing food and great competition. The secret ingredient was Crooked Creek Corn, a varietal that has been around since the 1800s, and is what makes Troy & Sons Moonshine (we were lucky enough to be able to use this in our dishes!). In the end Sunburst won by a narrow .04% margin! Our next heat is against the winner of the LAB vs The Magnetic Field on May 15th.
Here is a recap of the event…
Dish # 1 Vidalia Onion and Crab Bisque with a Cornmeal Cracker. Team Red Stag
Dish #2 Seafood Scrapple with Molasses Mustard and Pickled Cabbage. Team Sunburst
Dish #3 Shrimp Sausage and Pimento Cheese grits with Tasso Gravy. Team Red Stag and the #1 dish of the night.
Dish #4 Rosemary Roasted Venison Lion with Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Grits with Crispy Cornmeal Vegetables. Team Sunburst and the #4 dish of the night.
Dish #5 Moonshine Pie with Apples, Troy & Sons Moonshine, Sweet Bacon Grit Cream. Team Red Stag and the #3 dish of the night.
Dish #6 Cornmeal Stack Cake with Troy & Sons Moonshine Caramel. Team Sunburst and the #2 dish of the night.
Our Winning Team from Left to Right ~ Chef Charles Hudson, Chef Becky Gaddis and Chef Clay Hughes
See everyone May 15th!
