The first round of chefs will compete in the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Chef Showdown preliminary cook-off on Monday at Heirloom.

The NCRLA and Got to be NC Agriculture host the Chef Showdown each year in September, where the winners are deemed “Chef of the Year” and “Pastry Chef of the Year.” Last year’s winner of Pastry Chef of the Year was The Asbury’s Miranda Brown. In 2017, Charlotte saw a sweep, with Matthew Krenz taking Chef of the Year, Ann Marie Stefaney earning Pastry Chef of the Year, and Amanda Britton winning Mixologist of the Year.

This is the first year the competition includes five preliminary rounds, held across the state. Competing in the Charlotte-area preliminary round are chef Nichole Armstead of DoubleTree’s Libations Kitchen and Bar, Sam Diminich of Upstream, Phillip Platoni of Southminster, Adam Reed of Santé in Matthews, Matthew Shepard of the McNinch House, Whitney Thomas of 5Church, Paul Verica of The Stanley, and Daniel Wheeler of Dot Dot Dot. McNinch House pastry chef Madison Steegar and Earl’s pastry chef Jamie Turner are competing on the dessert side.

Each chef will prepare a dish, which will be scored on presentation, taste, and use of North Carolina ingredients. Three professional judges will oversee the competition, including chef de cuisine Andrew Wright of The Inn at Little Washington. The four chefs with the top scores will move on to the next round for the regional competition on August 19 at Central Piedmont Community College. The final showdown, a state-wide competition, is on Monday, Sept. 30 in Durham. —Kristen Wile

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