Defeat In The 1st Round ; Apple Battle

Spice Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Apple & Sweet Potato Hash, Wasabi Apple Sauce, Red Orach, Apple Chip, Crispy Sweet Potato

Fried Sea Scallop, Apple Slaw, Parsnip Puree, Apple Sauce, Apple Cilantro - Lime Coulis, Peppercress & Popcorn Shoot

Chef Nikki, Chef Eddie, Chef Ken

  Unfortunately I missed getting a photo of the dessert.  We had a great time doing this competition.  We don't really consider ourselves competitive when it comes to "Iron Chef" type stuff, but it was fun to do something new.  I was happy with all of our food, but seemed to be the only one.  The dishes were judged by the diners who did not know who was cooking each dish until after they completed the meal.  We ended up feeding 48 people, 3 courses from each team.  The variety of ingredients provided for us to work with was quite nice.  Each team was allowed to bring their own specialty bag, valued up to $100.    It was interesting cooking in a kitchen that I had only briefly stepped into once before.  It sure did make me appreciate our kitchen alot more.  No offense to Crippen's!  You guys just need some new cambros!  We do look forward to giving it another shot next year!

Local Chef Challenge

  Jimmy Crippen, owner of Crippen's Country Inn & Restaurant, is organizing and hosting a local chef challenge called 'Fire On The Rock' through the month of March.  There will be sixteen teams of three preparing three courses each every Tuesday and Wednesday until April.  The final competitions will be held April 17th & 18th.  This competition began a few years back as a Blowing Rock event.  It has now grown to include Boone, & Banner Elk.  There are talks of eventually doing regional competition and having a state competition.  The event is part of the Blue Ridge Wine Festival and sponsored by the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture.  Tickets are available through the 'Fire On The Rock' link.  This is a great opportunity to experience the culinary creativity of The High Country!