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Not surprisingly, the High Country has three of its finest restaurants
in the running for top honors in the state again this year.
Chef Chuck Nelson, The Table
at Crestwood |
Chef James Welch, Crippen’s
Country Inn |
Chef Andrew Long, Storie
Street Grille |
Nineteen restaurants across North Carolina have
been selected to compete this summer for Best Dish in North Carolina
honors through a competition sponsored by the N.C. Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Goodness Grows in North
Carolina program and Our State magazine.
The restaurants are divided to compete in either the Fine Dining
or Casual Dining categories, each of which will be judged by an
anonymous three-member panel.
Among the finalists for this year’s competition in Fine Dining
are
Crippen’s Country Inn & Restaurant, Blowing Rock, whose
chef, James Welch, was the winner of the 2006 Inaugural Contest
in the Fine Dining Category; The Table at Crestwood, Blowing Rock,
with chef Chuck Nelson at the helm, who entered the contest in
2007 for Storie Street Grille and won third place in Casual Dining.
Returning as a finalist in the current Casual Dining category
is Storie Street Grille with chef Andrew Long in his second year
in the coveted culinary countdown.
The Best Dish in N.C. competition is a statewide contest to determine
North Carolina’s top restaurants that use and promote N.C.
food products on their menus. The competition aims to recognize
and reward the efforts of restaurants and chefs who use N.C. products
regularly in their menus and to increase awareness of the quality
of local foods, restaurants and chefs.
“I encourage everyone to support state food producers, growers
and restaurants by visiting these restaurants and experiencing
the best local recipes in North Carolina for themselves,”
said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Taste the difference
North Carolina products bring to the table.”
The finalists were chosen based on their proposed menus and their
marketing plan for promoting the menu. Chefs were allowed to enter
a combination of dishes (for example, an appetizer with an entrée
and dessert), but each was judged as a single entry.
Competition finalists are required to feature the dish or combination
of courses in their restaurant for at least a four-week period
in May, June or July. During this time, the judges will visit
each finalist to sample the entries and judge each restaurant
on its use of North Carolina products, creativity, presentation,
taste and promotion. First-, second- and third-place winners will
be announced in August.
Visit www.bestdishnc.com for a complete list of finalists, restaurant
information, entered menus with pictures, chef bios, judging criteria
and contest information.
EMAIL:
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