Blowing Rock’s “Fire on the Rock Chefs Challenge"

The chefs march down the aisle, onto the stage, and stand behind their respective prep areas in anticipation of the challenge. They ask themselves “What will the secret ingredient be this time?” The date is Sunday, April 18th at the Blowing Rock Performing Arts Center (www.hayescenter.org) and it’s the final event of the “Fire on the Rocks Chefs Challenge.”(www.fireontherock.com)

Introductions are made, the music begins, and down from the ceiling descend the baskets containing the secret ingredient. The audience strains to look inside while the chefs are standing there with puzzled expressions – there is nothing in the baskets!

This is the final challenge – the one determining the winner of “bragging rights” and the coveted Red Chef’s Jacket. Now they are faced with the unexpected.

On the stage are large piles of vegetables donated by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Fresh Point. All the food is NC-grown and the chefs have used these vegetables in the previous challenges as additions to their main dishes. Now they are the secret ingredient! The chefs quickly descend on the vegetables, sorting through the boxes and selecting all that they will each need to plate three different dishes to serve the judges and a chef’s table – 10 total plates, each chef’s team responsible for 30 plates in just one hour!

The action is so quick that it seems they instinctively know what to make, as there is no time for menu-planning. The vegetables are chopped, sliced and diced, and very quickly the aroma of cooking fills the auditorium. You can tell the audience is becoming hungry as the purchase of glasses of wine increases.

Apples, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, cucumbers, beans, strawberries – these chefs are rocking! The judges occasionally walk onto the stage to check the progress and techniques. This competition started with 20 chefs and after 18 heats (competitions) they are down to the final two restaurants – Gamekeeper (www.gamekeeper-nc.com/) and Rowland’s (www.westglowresortandspa.com/15/rowlands-restaurant/).

Time is coming to an end. Pots are boiling, grills are smoking, and the sauces are almost finished. When the time runs out – one hour - all that is left to do is to plate the dishes, serve the judges one dish at a time, and wait for the final scoring. The judging is based on visual presentation, smell, taste, and the primary ingredient along with how the other vegetables complemented the main ingredient without detracting from it. The judges are food writers from Greensboro, Raleigh, Atlanta, and they have years of experience judging and writing about foods and restaurants – and they are tough!

The plating is down to the wire and now is the time for the judging. The first plate presented is from Gamekeeper and it is gazpacho with avocado custard. The next course is from Rowland’s and it is a “tasting of tomatoes” - tomato sandwich on homemade biscuits, a tomato bisque, and a fresh salad with micro greens.

The judges are totally taken over by the wonderful preparation of vegetables, a world above what you usually find when ordering a vegetable plate. Finally, the last dishes: from Game Keeper, stuffed and baked zucchini with a grilled tomato and ramp pesto sauce, and from Rowland’s, a sweet potato, apple, and pear tart with ice wine sauce and berry puree

All 20 chefs who competed and the people who eat at their restaurants are the true winners, but who’s to wear the red jacket? To find out, check this web link: (www.fireontherock.com/dnn/TheFinals.aspx)