NC Competition Dining Series Headed to Raleigh

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series continues it's trek around the state with Fire in the Triangle June 11-July 31. The goal of the culinary competition, founded by Jimmy Crippen of Crippen's Country Inn & Restaurant in Blowing Rock is to showcase North Carolina culinary talent and to bring chefs together to celebrate our local bounty. Previous events this year have included Fire on the Rock in Blowing Rock and Fire on the Dock in Wrightsville Beach. Proceeds from all of the events will be donated to the NC Office of the State Fire Marshall to support local fire fighters as cooking is the number one cause of house fires.


As part of Fire in the Triangle, 15 dinners will be hosted at 1705 Prime, Raleigh's premier private event space owned by rock Top Catering. Sixteen chefs from across the region will prepare three courses using a local "secret" ingredient in an Iron Chef-style format. Guests will then sample and judge each course in a blind tasting, along with a panel of culinary and celebrity judges, and decide who moves on to the next round. The winner will receive a grand prize of $2,000 and a coveted Fire in the Trianlge "Red Chef Jacket".


The culinary contenders from the Triangle include Four Square (Durham); The Twisted Fork (Raleigh); Il Palio Ristorante at the Sienna Hotel (Chapel Hill); Jujube Restaurant (Chapel Hill); Weathervane Restaurant at A Southern Season (Chapel Hill); Fork and Barrel (Raleigh); The Midtown Grille (Raleigh); Ashten's Restaurant & Pub (Southern Pines); Herons at the Umstead Hotel & Spa (Cary); Market Restaurant (Raleigh); Mia Francesca Trattoria (Raleigh); 518 West Italian Cafe (Raleigh); Sono Japanese Restaurant (Raleigh); Flights at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel (Raleigh); The Oxford (Raleigh); and Chapel Hill Country Club (Chapel Hill).


Tickets for the dinners cost $49 excluding beverage, tax and tip, with the semis and finals costing $59. All dinners will be held at 1705 Prime in Raleigh and diners can attend as many dinners as they like. Tickets are on sale now. But hurry....seats go fast!