By Jessica Isaacs | jessica@highcountrypress.com
The High Country’s own Vidalia Restaurant will be one of four culinary teams from across the state to compete in the elite Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series in Winston-Salem later this month.
Focused on showcasing the best of the best in food, agriculture and culinary talent in North Carolina, this single-elimination tournament will pit the Vidalia team against three other teams of professional chefs.
The three-night bracket-style tournament will feature two teams competing against each other each night May 22-23, and the top two teams will battle it out on May 25 for bragging rights, awesome prizes and a spot to compete in the Battle of the Champions series at the end of the year.
Restaurant co-owner and executive chef Sam Ratchford will head up the “Vidalia Boom” team, which will also feature co-owner Julius Kalman and restaurant chef Jason Walsh.
“This is probably the fifth or sixth year that we’ve competed, and Sam is a little bit of a veteran and is familiar with the competition,” said Vidalia co-owner Alyce Ratchford. “It is something that he really enjoys being a part of and he likes the opportunity to work with new local ingredients, to see things from different parts of the state and to get to know other chefs from the area. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t present itself very often.”
The first night’s tournament round will pit a team from Winston-Salem against chefs from Brevard.
In the second round on May 23, Vidalia’s team will take on Team Los Tres Jefes from Kernersville.
Before each dinner, a surprise North Carolina ingredient will be revealed just an hour before chefs begin preparing their three courses.
Ticketed guests will enjoy a full-service, six-course meal without knowing which chefs prepared which plate, and will later vote to help determine who will move on to the final round.
The winning team will receive a grand prize of $2,000 in cash and prizes, handcrafted knives by Ironman Forge, an autographed cookbook by master French baker Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery and the coveted “Red Chef Jacket.”
The team to move on to the final Battle of the Champions will take on winners from Durham, Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington competitions.
Vidalia team members say they look forward to engaging in some friendly competition, showing off what they can do, getting to know the other teams and spreading the word about the restaurant.
Check out competitiondining.com for tickets and information if you’re interested in enjoying the competition as a diner.
About The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series
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.
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