Taste the South – Best Chef Competition

The Best of 2010

Wecome to PeeDeeFoodie.com’s Best of 2010 Recap.  This week we’ll re-publish some reader favorite posts and a couple of our own.  Below is our recap of the Pee Dee’s first annual Best Chef competition, as published in April. 

Tonight, Mrs. PDF and I attended the inaugural “Taste the South – Best Chef Competition” tonight. How was it? In a word — Delicious! Along with about 400-450 fellow foodies of all shapes, sizes and knowledge levels, we sampled some of the best food in the region and did so all in one place.

The Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology (SiMT) facility is beautiful and the Conference Center worked perfectly for such a large mix and mingle tasting event such as this. Plenty of parking and space to move around inside, as well as rub elbows with fellow foodies. The floor layout was a large rectangle with tables lining the inner perimeter and vendor lining the outer.  There was some space available for more of both, but not a lot. The community’s support for the Pee Dee’s first Best Chef competition was clear.

Vendors of all types offered everything from cooking supplies to mortgages and concrete resurfacing. They probably didn’t get the attention they were hoping for, but with lots of “good eats” in the room that was somewhat unavoidable. Their sponsorships and attendance, however, were major contributors to the success of this fundraising effort. They should be thanked at every opportunity.

Our roaming Master of Ceremonies was the well-known and foodie-friendly Cecil Chandler of WBTW News 13. The interviews at the various tables and among the crowd kept the atmosphere lively and interactive. Guest Judges included Pamela Christmas, Culinary Instructor at Poyner Education Center, Jane Pigg, CEO of Pee Dee Broadcasting and Nick Townsendof Sodexo, Inc. at Carolinas Hospital System. Sponsors included S/W Printing Company, SiMT, She Magazine, Francis Marion University, Morning News, Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, and PeeDeeFoodie.com.

Now to the main event. The food tables. Ah yes, the food tables. They represented mostly Southern cooking, as the name of the event would indicate, but with some tasty twists. They also represented mostly Florence County with a few exceptions. Here are a few of my personal highlights:

New York Butcher Shoppe (Florence) offered a mix of items including a boneless duck dish that was unusual and a bit of an adventure for Mrs. PDF. I like it. They also offered a sample of Carolina chocolate grits. Now, let me tell you something. If a few (or 20) of those little samples would have jumped together onto a plate, I would have been one happy guy. Brent and the team would have had to shoo me away with a rolled-up newspaper.

Stefano’s Italian Restaurant (Florence) offered Rigatoni Rustica with peppers, tomatoes and all the right stuff, including Italian sausage and eggplant. While I’m generally not a fan of eggplant (too strong for me when fried, in many cases), this was perfection on a little plastic plate. Stefano’s is one of my favorite restaurants in FLO. I was very happy to see it so well represented.

Methodist Manor of the Pee Dee (Florence) stood out, not only because of the two gentlemen in chef’s toques, but because their trio of soups was a journey for the palate. From the Breakfast to the Chilled Watermelon and finally the Sweet Potato & Apple Bisque, each was better than the last. The Bisque reminded us of a butternut squash soup served at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in Walt Disney World. It’s one of Disney’s most requested recipes and has a signature nutmeg flavor. I’d love to have this recipe as well. Bravo, chefs!

Victor’s Bistro & Garden Room (Florence) offered one of Chef Tommy Crayton’s favorite dishes, per my recollection, a duck confit. This confit was over creamy Carolina grits. An unexpected pairing, but it raised the roof in my opinion. Judging from the line in front of the table, I wasn’t alone in my assessment. The Duck Confit over Creamy Carolina Grits is one of my personal finalists for best dish at the event. Also offered were samples of homemade pimento cheese. Spicy and savory on a slice of crunchy baguette, it appeared to go quickly as well.

Creek Ratz (Florence)offered a Catfish Stew which reminded Mrs. PDF of a Louisiana sauce piquante. I have to agree. It appeared to be underappreciated, however as lines were not long in comparison to Victor’s, its neighbor to the left. To those who didn’t try this Catfish Stew, I say tisk-tisk. Those folks missed out on a complex set of flavors that rivaled anything similar that I’ve had in New Orleans.

Foodscapes (Lake City)offered Shrimp and Grits. I hesitate to write anything further on this one, because I think words might be somewhat inadequate. The only table with lines that rivaled Victor’s in my estimation, was that of Foodscapes. The shrimp were perfectly cooked. The grits were creamy and the combination rivaled some of the best that I’ve had. I like the version at Redbone’s for example, but this one had an edge that is hard to describe. This was my other personal finalist for best dish at the event. Truth be told it was my odds-on favorite. Worthy of additional recognition is that Foodscapes proudly displayed the Certified SC Grown logo at its table.

To close, here are a few general observations about Best Chef 2010:

First, the event was well-organized. Even with double the anticipated turnout, it appeared to go off without a hitch — no one ran out of food, best I could tell. That’s the mark of leadership and of attention to detail. Kudos to all organizers, especially the 2010 Class of Leadership Florence and The Chamber. Kudos also to SiMT for providing a perfect venue.

Second, the ticket price was a true bargain. For $20.00 a person, attendees received two (2) beer/wine coupons, complimentary soft drinks and unlimited tasting (and re-tasting) of the chefs’ dishes including entrees, snacks and desserts.

Third, the Pee Dee Region wasn’t fully represented. That’s understandable, because regional participation will probably take time to build. In the coming years I would personally love to see the organizers actively seek out (1) more regional participation, generally, and (2) representation of other local ethnic cuisines, such as Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Greek and more. Sort of a cross-section of the Pee Dee, regardless of heritage, if you know what I mean.

Fourth, and finally for now, this event should be held up as an example for what a community can do to support the development of its own future leaders. As a veteran of community leadership programs, myself, I can unequivocally attest to the value of programs like Leadership Florence. Often underestimated and frequently undervalued, it is encouraging to see the level of support demonstrated by the outcome of this first-ever Taste the South – Best Chef Competition. PeeDeeFoodie.com is proud to have been a sponsor of this year’s event. 

Have Fun and Eat Well.  Enjoy the photos.

Photo from the First Event we covered for PeeDeeFoodie.com

Tags: Best Chef, Best of 2010, Florence, FOODIE FRIENDS, Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Florence, Pee Dee

Category: Best of 2010, REGIONAL LINKS