Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series Unveils Dual-Bracket Charlotte Series Featuring 24 Chefs

    CHARLOTTE, NC, March 08, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the state's food, agriculture and culinary talent, will pit 24 highly competitive chefs against each other in its upcoming dual-bracket regional tournament. For the first time in competition history, the local series will feature two separate brackets that will each name a champion. All of the 22 interactive battles will be hosted in Charlotte from March 22 through May 19, and tickets are now available at http://www.competitiondining.com/events/city.

In every Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series dinner event, two chef teams battle it out preparing three courses each centered on a featured North Carolina ingredient that is revealed only an hour before they start cooking that day. Ticketed dinner guests savor a full-service, six-course meal without knowing which chef prepared which dishes. Unlike any other cooking competition, attendees vote on each course using a free app, and ultimately help determine who moves on to the next battle round and who goes home.

Charlotte series competitors were randomly assigned to the two brackets. Eight returning competitors received a bye to automatically advance to the second round. The preliminary match-up battles include:

Bracket One:
• Sunday, March 22 Dinner: Miles Payne of littleSpoon, versus Ryan Forte of Southminster
• Monday, March 23 Dinner: Paul Verica of Heritage Food & Drink, versus Vincent Giancarlo of Cantina 1511
• Tuesday, March 23 Dinner: Thomas Marlow of Mimosa Grill, versus Ben Miles of BLT Steak
• Sunday, March 29 Dinner: Joseph Cornett of The Flipside Cafe, versus Jon Ernst of Cafe Monte French Bakery and Bistro
• The four chefs receiving a bye include:
• Tom Dyrness of Mama Ricotta's (Sunday, April 12)
• Steven Goff of King James Public House (Monday, April 13)
• David Moore of Gallery Restaurant (Tuesday, April 14)
• Chris Coleman of The Asbury at the Dunhill Hotel (Sunday, April 19)

Bracket Two:
• Monday, March 30 Dinner: Mike Suppa of Vivace, versus Melissa Joy Claude of Joy Bistro
• Tuesday, March 31 Dinner: Aaron Rivera of Tapas 51, versus Neil Bratton of Local Dish
• Sunday, April 6 Dinner: John S. Morey of the Bank of America Stadium, versus Brady Lutz of The Cypress Club & The Copper Grille
• Monday, April 7 Dinner: Ryan Daugherty of Dogwood Southern Table & Bar, versus Travis Garrett of The Mandrake Small Plates and Wine
• The four chefs receiving a bye include:
• Clark Barlowe of Heirloom Restaurant (Monday, April 20)
• Ben Philpott of Block & Grinder (Tuesday, April 21)
• Brent Martin of The Summit Room (Monday, April 27)
• Michael Fisera of Lexington Avenue Brewery (Tuesday, April 28)

"This year's Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series' City tournament brings some exciting new surprises thanks to the impressive level of culinary talent in the area and overwhelming interest we received from some of the most competitive chefs in the state," said Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host. "We're thrilled to debut our first-ever double-header bracket in Charlotte and share even more of our fun, interactive culinary experiences. With an additional seven events this year, more people will see for themselves that the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is unlike any other dinner experience in the country!"

During 2015, the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is hosting bracketed tournaments in three regions of the state: Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and the two brackets in Charlotte. The winner of each receives a grand prize of $2,000, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge and the coveted "Red Chef Jacket." Additionally, all four winners move on to compete in the battle of champions at the end of the year.

All Charlotte events are held at Bonterra Dining & Wine Room, located at 1829 Cleveland Ave in Charlotte. Tickets to attend a preliminary battle cost $55 each, excluding beverage, tax and service fee. Tickets to attend a quarterfinal, semifinal or final battle (scheduled April 12 through May 19) range from $59 to $75 each, excluding beverage, tax and service fee. Guests can attend as many dinners as they like and tickets must be purchased by midnight the day before a battle. Reservations are open now at http://www.competitiondining.com/events/city.

About The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series
The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Pate Dawson-Southern Foods, Certified Angus Beef , Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Libbey, ALSCO, NC Egg Association, Hits Technology, Joyce Farms and local partners in each region of the state. The goal of the series is to celebrate local North Carolina products and agriculture, and to showcase the culinary ingenuity and talent across the state. For more information, visit http://www.competitiondining.com or get in on the conversation at http://www.facebook.com/competitiondining and @CompDiningNC on Twitter or Instagram.

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