UPDATE: Asheville chef advances toward Final Fire Championship

Season's at Highland Lake chef Michelle Bailey, right, with Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series founder and host Jimmy Crippen after her winning effort in the Nov. 19 Final Fire battle. Bailey has advanced to the next round, which takes place Nov. 20. Photo courtesy of Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series

Raleigh residents got a taste of Asheville last night, Nov. 19, when chef Michelle Bailey of Season’s at Highland Lake defeated Cape Fear Country Club’s chef Antoine Murray in the first round of Final Fire eliminations.

Bailey’s dish, the highest scoring of the night, was literally and figuratively a mouthful, containing a Two Shoe Farms mushroom-dusted and coriander-crusted certified Angus beef Ribeye, sweet potato coconut purée, roasted brussel sprouts and turnip greens, Piedmont Candy Co. peppermint peanut and Thai basil gremolata, and smoked peppermint candy and ginger demi glace. The secret ingredients for this round were mushrooms, peppermint and beef.

A notably precise scoring system awarded Bailey 31.91340483 points (compared to Murray’s 24.30465950) for her performance, sending the Western North Carolina chef back into battle with chef Jon Fortes of Charlotte tonight, Nov. 20, in Raleigh.

Here is the original Final Fire story Xpress published on Oct. 29:

Final Fire chef showdown expects to sell out

Browser open, monitor positioned, mouse at the ready. Last year’s Final Fire tickets sold out in just eight minutes according to event organizers, so those interested in rooting for Flat Rock’s own Michelle Bailey in this year’s culinary showdown should prepare before the ticket release at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, according to a press release, aims to “celebrate local North Carolina products and agriculture and to showcase the culinary ingenuity and talent across the state.” This year’s Final Fire, the final challenge series for Got to Be NC, will host competitors from Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington at four live dinner events in Raleigh, N.C.

Bailey qualified by winning the 2014 Fire on the Rock challenge and will first compete on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The Season’s at Highland Lake chef describes her cooking style as “refined American cuisine utilizing local, sustainably sourced ingredients with a focus on traditional Southern techniques and international flavor profiles.”

Four single-elimination, Iron Chef-style dinner battles, held daily Nov. 19-22, culminate in the final state championship round on Nov. 22. The schedule is as follows:

Nov. 19: Michelle Bailey (Asheville) versus Antoine Murray (Wilmington)
Nov. 20: Jon Fortes (Charlotte) versus Nov. 19 winner
Nov. 21: Tim Thompson (Greensboro) versus Dean Thompson (Raleigh)
Nov. 22 state championship dinner: Nov. 20 winner versus Nov. 21 winner

Competing chefs are familiar with the format, which mimics the qualifying rounds held throughout the year. Two contestants each prepare a three-course meal with each course highlighting a secret NC-sourced ingredient that is revealed just an hour before ovens and stove tops spring into action.

The series promotes each guest to the position of judge using an interactive smart phone app. Audience members conduct a blind taste test, sampling each of the six courses to decide democratically who advances.

All dinner challenges will be held at Renaissance North Hills Raleigh, 4100 Main St. (at North Hills Street). Tickets will be available at competitiondining.com starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29. and cost $129-$139 per person per night.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Kat McReynolds
Kat studied entrepreneurship and music business at the University of Miami and earned her MBA at Appalachian State University. Follow me @katmAVL

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “UPDATE: Asheville chef advances toward Final Fire Championship

  1. Kat McReynolds

    Update: Chef Bailey was eliminated during the Nov. 20 round. Jon Fortes advanced with a score of 27.18593190 compared to Bailey’s 23.71029589. I can’t get over the intensity of the scoring system.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.