by TM Petaccia

In seven months, chef Garcia Brown went from Charlotte newcomer from Jamaica to the city’s newest Neighborhood Cook-off champion. Representing South End and SouthBound restaurant, Garcia bested chef Joseph Huang of Bang Bang Burgers in what judges said was a very close battle.

The Neighborhood Cook-off was the culmination of the two-day StrEATs Tasting Tour and Festival — a celebration of local food, beverages, and select crafts — a collaboration between Charlotte SHOUT, Carben Events, and Unpretentious Palate.

The Sunday festival featured a cooking demonstration by national celebrity chef and author Eric Adjepong, as well as local cocktail demonstrations and artisan fare, with the Neighborhood Cook-off taking the spotlight for most of the afternoon.

Four chefs made the semifinals Sunday, after a virtual round of public voting held prior to the Festival. The semifinals were judged by chef Christa Csoka of The Artisan’s Palate, Cherie Jzar of Deep Roots CPS Farm, and Don Brizes, associate professor at Johnson & Wales University.

The first round pitted Garcia against chef Perry Saito of DŌZO Japanese-American Kitchen, who was representing West Charlotte. Saito created his own crafted version of Spam, served with hoecake, poached egg, and furikake seasoning. Garcia prepared a braised short rib with rice grits, which he milled himself, and a red cabbage slaw. After a long deliberation, the judges gave the nod to Garcia.

In the second round, Huang faced chef DJ Ivey of Sea Level, representing Uptown. Ivey prepared Maine lobster with a corn fritter and an arugula and tomato salad. Huang, saying his dish represented his Elizabeth community, with a focus on leaner, more healthy options, created a chicken thigh and vegetable stew with a puréed chimichurri. Again after extended deliberations, Huang was named the winner of the round.

In the final round, Garcia and Huang made the dishes for a new set of judges: Kristen Miranda of Blumenthal Arts, chef Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls, and Unpretentious Palate editor Kristen Wile. However, this round added a small twist. Both chefs had to incorporate a secret ingredient to their dishes. Adjepong, who emceed the final round, revealed the ingredient to be harissa, a North African chili pepper and paprika condiment provided courtesy of Sysco. Chefs had the option of using the ingredient in a dry powder or sauce form.

Huang added the sauce to his chimichurri while Garcia added some of the powder to his grits and also made a tuile from the sauce.

Throughout the final round, Adjepong combined giving the packed audience a cook-off play-by-play along with his remembrances of his own cooking competition experiences from his Top Chef days.

In the end, Garcia was given the Neighborhood Cook-off cutting board trophy, along with $1,000 plus two VIP three-day passes to the upcoming Lovin’ Life Music Fest which takes place May 2-4; a complimentary commercial kitchen hood and exhaust clean to NFPA 96 standards from Kitchen Guard of Charlotte; and a complimentary pass to the Party Room for up to 10 people at Sauna House.

“I analyzed the demography of South End and realized that it was a young crowd,” he says. “This generation knows about innovation and trying things outside of the box so that’s how I came up with my dish.”

“I want to thank the Charlotte community for welcoming me so warmly,” he said in celebrating his award.