2018 NCRLA Chef Showdown in the Queen City

Calling all North Carolina Foodies!  Monday, August 27th, will be the hottest and most anticipated NC culinary event of the year.  Got to be NC Agriculture will host the NCRLA Chef Showdown at Charlotte’s Aria at Founders Hall from 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM.  The third annual 2018 Chef Showdown will feature 21 Chefs and 6 Mixologists representing 6 North Carolina distilleries.  Finalists will compete for the coveted titles of NCRLA Chef of the Year, NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year and NCRLA Mixologist of the Year.

Tickets sell for $125.00 per person and can be purchased directly on this Eventbrite link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-ncrla-chef-showdown-tickets-44894830647.  Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy food tastings from 21 chefs and drink tastings from 10 beverage vendors from North Carolina distilleries, wineries and breweries.

 

 

I had the pleasure of interviewing four finalists that are vying for three separate categories in the NCRLA Chef Showdown.  Durham’s Counting House is home to two finalists!  Executive Chef Thomas Card is a Chef of the Year finalist and Chef Nicole Lourie is a Pastry Chef of the Year finalist.  The Bull City is definitely representing in this year’s competition with finalists in each category!  Alley Twenty Six, Luke Zabor, completes my trifecta of Durham interviewees as a finalist for Mixologist of the Year.  He will be representing Knightdale’s Lassiter Distilling.  I also had the good fortune of interviewing Asheville’s Joe Nicol.  The Times at S&W Mixologist will be representing Greensboro’s Fainting Goat Spirits.  Following is a snap-shot of my interviews with the NCRLA finalists.

NCRLA Chef of the Year finalist
Thomas Card, Counting House at the 21c Museum Hotel, Durham

Of my four interviewees, Chef Thomas Card is the only competitor that has previously participated in the NCRLA Chef Showdown.  He is originally from Upstate New York, however, he has always had a close connection to North Carolina.  He has been visiting family in the Tar Heel State since he was five years old and has also lived in Emerald Isle during his twenties before moving to the Triangle.  Chef Card has an impressive culinary narrative having worked at Cary’s The Umstead Hotel and Spa and Pittsboro’s Fearrington House.  He has a high regard for the NC farm to table mission and has a very soft spot for the NCRLA ProStart Program.  He draws his culinary inspiration from products and technique.  Chef Thomas is always in search of the latest techniques and tries to marry them with the freshest ingredients growing in the backyard.

Why is Farm to Table important to you?
The farm to table mission is very important to me because it provides an opportunity for a lot of smaller farms to exist.  I work closely with farmers and their available produce.  The seasonal produce is a critical element in our menu development at Counting House.  There have been times when I was presented with an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable.  Instances like these, give me the opportunity to think outside the box and create something very special and different.  It is also important to me to give recognition to the local farms that we feature in our cuisine.  I love highlighting the best of what North Carolina has to offer.

Why is the NCRLA Chef Showdown important to you?
The competition unites so many wonderful chefs in the community with the same goal, to use the best of what NC has to offer.  It also wraps up everything that is available in the hospitality industry from the farms, to the oceans and the mountains.  In addition to that, the competition has allowed me to grow as a chef.  I am excited to see the NCRLA competition grow as well in the coming years.

How will you approach this years competition differently?
I will use my previous experience in last year’s competition to not make the same mistakes.  My strategy will be focusing on flavor profiles and using ingredients local to NC that may be underutilized.  I will certainly take my experience from last year, techniques and knowledge over the past years in my approach.

 

NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year finalist
Nicole Lourie, Counting House at the 21c Museum Hotel, Durham

Connecticut native, Nicole Lourie, moved to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area four years ago.  Although the Triangle is very different from her hometown, she enjoys the food scene that NC has to offer.  She definitely misses the apple orchards in New England, but she has a new-found appreciation for NC heirloom tomatoes.  This is Chef Lourie’s first food competition and first NCRLA Chef Showdown.  She describes her pastry style as neo-classical.  Chef Nicole loves to take a classic dessert like a crème brûlée or her childhood favorite, ricotta pie, and reinvent the dessert using her own culinary techniques.

Why is Farm to Table important to you?
I believe in supporting the people who are in your community.  Shopping local creates better relationships between chefs, farmers and purveyors.  The local connection not only helps the farmers or purveyors we support, but it also helps Counting House.  Our 21c guests have a passion for eating local and on occasion do ask where our ingredients are sourced.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your desserts?
I draw my inspiration from Instagram!  I do admire crazy creations from those in the forefront of pastry cooking, regardless of whether they are pastry chefs or at home cooks.  I may find a dessert on Instagram and think, I would like to do something similar, but using local ingredients and incorporating my own techniques and experience as a pastry chef.

Why is the NCRLA Chef Showdown important to you?
The competition is important to me because it would provide a sense of accomplishment and I would like to see how I measure up against other competitors.  I am most excited to share my desserts with a larger audience outside of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area.

 

NCRLA Mixologist of the Year finalist
Luke Zabor, representing Knightdale’s Lassiter Distilling

Luke Zabor is one of those elusive NC locals.   He was born in Durham and raised in Chapel Hill.  He first got involved with cocktails at Chapel Hill’s The Siena Hotel.  Luke currently bartends at Alley Twenty Six, who has a lauded bar program in the Bull City and a deep understanding of the rum category.  This is Luke’s first mixology competition and first NCRLA Chef Showdown.  Luke will be representing Lassiter Distilling and is quick to want to rid the old stereotypes of rum.  He enjoys working with rum because of its diversity in flavor profiles.  He explained to me that some rum varieties can be grassy while others can have rich coffee notes which can result in a myriad of cocktails.  A fun fact about Luke – his favorite cocktail is the Negroni, because it’s a little sweet and a little bitter.

Why is Farm to Table important to you?
In my line of work, it is important to support small businesses as well as have the support of small businesses in the area that make great products.  I have been able to develop personal relationships with farmers and purveyors, which is something that is difficult to achieve with a large company.  As a result of these relationships we have built, we may at times have farms call us or drop by and provide us with their latest and freshest products.  Alley Twenty Six, has been known to incorporate local persimmons, blueberries and mint into our tinctures, tonics and syrups.

How would you describe your mixology style?
My style is about creating an atmosphere.  I am driven by great customer service and getting to know my clientele while achieving a fun and creative atmosphere that is still professional.

Why is the NCRLA Chef Showdown important to you?
This will be my first competition and I have been wanting to enter a competition for some time now.  I look forward to meeting like-minded individuals in the industry at the NCRLA Chef Showdown.  I am also excited to share the cocktail that I plan to prepare for the competition and hope it will surprise many.

 

NCRLA Mixologist of the Year finalist
Joe Nicol, representing Greensboro’s Fainting Goat Spirits

 

Joe Nicol may be a newest of the North Carolina transplants, having recently moved to Asheville a little over a year ago.  Despite being a newcomer, he has a storied career in the bar industry and is no stranger to the farm to table mission.   He previously worked in St. Augustine, Florida’s Ice Plant and has been known to host cigar and scotch pairings.  He moved to Asheville to consult Sovereign Remedies and shortly thereafter, invested with partners to open up The Times at S&W.  Joe is no stranger to mixology competitions, having recently won at Asheville’s Elixir Craft Cocktail Competition.  This will, however, be his first NCRLA Chef Showdown.  A couple of fun facts about Joe – he tells me, “I am sucker for frozen rum drinks and don’t be stingy with the whip cream and cherries”.  He also loves to bartend to Whitney Houston’s classic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Describe your cocktail building process?
My process is, I taste the fruit.  I then decide what other ingredients I want to use in my cocktail or should I say mocktail.  I build it backwards.  The last element I add to the mocktail or spritzer is the best spirit that I can find to round out the flavors.  I like to incorporate a lot of local fruits & vegetables.  When you have an intimate space, you are able to buy and use small quantities of the freshest produce from the person down the street.  I also want the libation to embody a fun experience from the cocktail to the garnish.  Whether it is a herb or an edible flower, I want the cocktail to not only taste good but also trigger the olfactory senses.

What is your mixology style?
I have a casual approach to my bartending.  I want to make guests feel like I am welcoming them to my home.   I also want guests to enjoy their cocktail experience whether they are alone or on a date.  What is most important is that I provide an elevated experience.

Why is the NCRLA Chef Showdown important to you?
The most important thing I take away from competitions is the camaraderie.  The experience is important, not the loss or the win.  I look forward to making new friends and meeting the other finalists that have come together to represent North Carolina.  The competition will be hosted in a city and a venue that is new to me, so that adds to my experience.  In past competitions, I always walk away having learned cool things about other participants as well as having developed long-term friendships.

It was an honor and a pleasure to have interviewed these four highly talented individuals and I am excited to support them in the Queen City.  This will be the first time Charlotte is host to the NCRLA Chef Showdown.

It is no secret that I am dessert fanatic.  Ok, let’s call it an obsession.  That said, I especially look forward to admiring and tasting the creations from Pastry Chef of the Year finalists.  For a comprehensive list of other finalists, visit https://www.ncrla.org/chefshowdown/2018-chefs/.  I hope to see you next week in Charlotte cheering on the best of NC!   To purchase tickets, follow Eventbrite link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-ncrla-chef-showdown-tickets-44894830647.