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    Home » This & That

    By Amy · Published: Oct 12, 2013 · Updated: Mar 21, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy Leave a Comment

    Judging the NC Seafood Festival Chefs Competition

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    Last weekend was one of the greatest experiences of my life at the North Carolina Seafood Festival!

    An image of a poster of a chef cooking with a boat in the background.

    Photo Courtesy of The North Carolina Seafood Festival

    Earlier in the year, I was asked to be a judge in this exciting competition.  For MONTHS I anticipated “the big day” of the NC Seafood Festival Chefs Competition.  I was probably more nervous than the competing chefs!  Once the competition was underway, I realized that I had the easy task:  eating all of the deliciousness prepared right before my eyes.

    There were 4 rounds with 2 chefs competing in each round.  No one knew the “secret seafood ingredient” until it was showtime.  The secret ingredient?  Sea Trout.

    The ever so talented competing chefs were:

    • Chef Gerry Fong – Persimmons Restaurant, New Bern, NC
    • Chef Gus Headington – Soundside Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Morehead City, NC
    • Chef Scotty Anderson – Boonedocks Restaurant, Holden Beach, NC
    • Chef Jason Scott – Island Grille, Atlantic Beach, NC
    • Chef Richard Alexander – The Banks Grill, Morehead City, NC
    • Chef Daphne Bennink – Back Porch Restaurant & Wine Bar, Ocracoke, NC
    • Chef Jason Smith – Black Pelican Restaurant, Kitty Hawk, NC
    • Chef James Clark – Carolina Crossroads Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC

    A chef in a black uniform standing a counter putting gloves on.

    Honestly, I don’t think there is ANY WAY I could work under that kind of pressure.  The announcers interacted with the chefs the majority of the time, asking them questions regarding how they were preparing their dishes.

    A wide screen monitor displaying a chef cooking and closeup of slicing vegetables.

    The overhead monitors displayed every little detail of what was going on, so I (and the audience) didn’t miss a thing.

     A wide screen monitor displaying fish frying in a pan.

    I have never in my life have eaten sea trout prepared in so many ways.  I apologize in advance for not having photos of every dish… We only had a certain amount of time to taste and score, and there were several times that I couldn’t get a good shot discreetly from my chair.  I didn’t want to be rude and hold everyone up with my food photography obsession.

    Following are a few of the awesome dishes I got to sample:

    A closeup of trout with potatoes and green beans on a clear glass plate.

    Chef Daphne Bennink prepared a French-inspired sea trout.

    A square cardboard bowl with cooked trout and vegetables.

    Chef Jason Smith prepared sea trout 3 ways: Italian, Asian and Southwestern.  Pictured:  Asian

    Prepared trout topped with slaw on a plate with a black plastic fork.

    Chef James Clark prepared sea trout over fresh meal grits with a cabbage slaw topping.

    The 2 chefs with the highest scores competed for the 5th and final round:  Chefs Jason Smith and Daphne Bennink.  The public chose the winner of the final round after tasting each dish.

    A small group of men, women and children smiling with a produce sign behind them.

    Photo courtesy of NC Seafood Festival

    Chef Jason Smith won the vote of the public.  I personally think that each and every chef created phenomenal dishes, especially under so much pressure.

    And of course, I can’t leave out my great new friends that I judged alongside:

    • Carol Lohr, Crystal Coast Tourism Authority
    • Andrea Weigl,  Food Editor for both the News & Observer
      in Raleigh and the Charlotte Observer in Charlotte
    • John Aydlett, NC Department of Agriculture
    • Personal Chef Andy Hopper- 2012 Fire on the Dock Winner

    A very special thanks goes out to the NC Seafood Festival for choosing me to be a part of this honorable event.  It was definitely an experience I will always cherish!

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