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Get Tickets to Support Vidalia at Statewide Dining Competition in Raleigh in November

Team Vidalia Boom shows off the $2,000 grand prize and their red chef jackets after taking home first place in the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series.
Team Vidalia Boom shows off the $2,000 grand prize and their red chef jackets after taking home first place in the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series.

Chef Sam Ratchford and his team from Vidalia Restaurant and Wine Bar will soon participate in the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series Battle of the Champions, which will include live dinner events Nov. 11-20 in Raleigh. Tickets are on sale this week and are expected to go fast, so get yours now if you plan to be there and support this High Country restaurant at the state competition.

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the Carolina’s food, agriculture and culinary talent. In November, the top six North Carolina teams will battle it out to take home the coveted annual championship title.

Foodies from around North Carolina and beyond are invited to attend the five live dinner events Nov. 11-20 in Raleigh, savoring the full-service, six-course meals and serving as judges.

Ratchford and his teammates, co-owner Julius Kalman and chef Jason Walsh, outperformed their opponents within the greater Winston-Salem district back in May, earning for themselves a $2,000 grand prize. bragging rights and the competition’s coveted red chef jackets.

The first three rounds of statewide competition will take place Friday through Sunday, Nov. 11-13, and the tournament will conclude with the top performing teams on Friday, Nov. 18 and a grand finale dinner on Sunday, Nov. 20.

For Ratchford and company, the Battle of the Champions will begin with a dinner competition on Saturday, Nov. 12. “Team Vidalia Boom” will take on executive chef Sam Cahoon and sous chefs Edson Juarez and Eric Smith of Ceviche’s in Wrightsville Beach.

Other competing restaurants include Another Broken Egg Cafe in Raleigh, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, as well as teams comprised of chefs from Sante of Matthews, Artistan Restaurant and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte and from Peak City Grill and Bar in Apex, CHef’s Palette Restauranta nd Bar in Cary and Main Street Grille Cafe and Bakery in Wake Forest.

As they move on to the Battle of Champions, the six chef teams will all compete for bragging rights and a grand prize of $4,000 in cash and prizes. Each winning team member will also take home a handcrafted chef knife by Ironman Forge and a 40-quart Grizzly cooler,compliments of Joyce Farms. All Battle of Champions events are held at NC State’s Dorothy & Roy Park Alumni Center located at 2450 Alumni Dr. in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tickets to these interactive battles go on sale Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at www.competitiondining.com and are guaranteed to sell out quickly.

Ratchford said he and Vidalia Boom teammates will go and do their best to win and represent the High Country, and “it would  be amazing” if some local folks showed up in Raleigh to support them.

 

More About Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series

Each of the Battle of Champions dinner events, just as at all dinners throughout the year-long series, includes two chef teams battling it out preparing three courses centered on a featured North Carolina ingredient that is revealed only an hour before they start cooking that day. Unlike any other cooking competition, attendees vote on each dish using their smart devices, and ultimately help determine who moves on to the next round and who goes home. New to the competition this year, the creation of All-Star Dream Teams allows chefs from different restaurants to partner together for the three-person teams, upping the potential caliber and creating a more fun and competitive atmosphere for all.

“This year’s Battle of Champions is certain to bring dynamic competition and delicious food throughout the five dinner events,” said Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host. “The level of culinary talent and exceptional creativity in each of our 2016 local series blew us away and we can’t wait to see what these skilled chef teams serve up in the annual championship. Foodies won’t want to miss this ultimate culinary showdown!”

Tickets for the Nov. 11, 12, 13 and 18 battles are $119 each, and tickets for the grand finale battle, Nov. 20, are $139 each. Learn more and buy tickets starting Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at www.competitiondining.com/events/battle-of-champions.

 

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef®, Freshness from North Carolina Waters, Joyce Farms, Goodnight Brothers, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, ALSCO, Swisher Hygiene and local and regional partners throughout the state. The goal of the series is to celebrate North Carolina products and agriculture, and to showcase the culinary ingenuity and talent across the state. For more information, visit www.competitiondining.com or get in on the conversation at www.facebook.com/competitiondining and @CompDiningNC on Twitter or Instagram.