Mother Earth Distillery
Last Monday I attended the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA), fourth annual NCRLA Chef Showdown at Angus Barn’s Bay 7 event space in Durham. It was a fun night of fantastic food and drink celebrating some of the best chefs and mixologists in North Carolina.
Twenty chefs from across the State were in the final running for the savory and sweet titles, judged by a panel of industry experts based on the presentation and taste of the dish as well as the best use and number of local North Carolina ingredients on each plate. Attendees also voted for their favorite dishes and drinks to determine the People’s Choice award winners for Savory, Pastry and Specialty Cocktail & Distillery.
NCRLA 2019 Chef Showdown Results:
- Chef of the Year: Steven Goff, AUX Bar, Asheville
- Pastry Chef of the Year: Jamie Turner, Earl’s Grocery and Soul Food Sessions, Charlotte
- Mixologist of the Year: Johnny Burritt, representing Apothecary Beverage Company, Asheville
- Distillery of the Year: Apothecary Beverage Company, Asheville
People’s Choice Awards:
- Savory: Cory Haigler, The Westin Charlotte, Charlotte
- People’s Choice Pastry: Tie Whittaker, Buttermilk Boutique, Raleigh
- People’s Choice Specialty Cocktail & Distillery: Jimmy Huyhn, representing Copper Barrel Distillery, Wilkesboro
For more information about the NCRLA Chef Showdown, visit ncrla.org/chefshowdown
The Triangle Explorer 