Food and competitions — these are two staples of every fair. The N.C. State Fair’s Home Chef Challenge blends both, welcoming the unique culinary culture of North Carolina while allowing chefs from across the state to flex their creativity.
With a different competition for each of the fair’s 11 days, chefs are tasked with creating homemade recipes themed around a different food topic. Some of the competitions, like the “Boo-zy Sweet Treat” Challenge requires contestants to include a North Carolina spirit in their recipe, or the “Cheez-y Does it” Cheez-It Challenge where recipes must contain at least a half cup of Cheez-Its. Other challenges are more general, like the “Delightful Dips” Challenge and the “Layer it Up” Lasagna Challenge, which only require a specific food item be prepared.
Although each group is judged separately, all chefs, both amateur and professional, are invited to compete, with $250, $150 and $100 cash prizes awarded to the first, second and third place winners in each category. A team of judges determines the victor through a 30-point system based on flavor, creativity and presentation.
Ruth Toole, who works across all competitions at the state fair, helped to create the categories for the Home Chef Challenge this year. Through events like the SweetPotato Showdown and the “Nutty by Nature” Peanut Candy Challenge, Toole tried to incorporate foods that represent the culinary history of the state.
“My goal is to try to make it related to North Carolina products,” Toole said. “And sweet potatoes and peanuts, those are two primary agricultural products grown here in North Carolina.”
Saturday, Oct. 24 was the “Stew-pendous” Brunswick Stew Challenge, which featured 11 contestants with a multitude of creative spins on the classic meal. Brunswick stew is a culturally southern dish which originated in Georgia and Virginia. From “Uncle Sam’s Favorite Brunswick Stew” to the “Silkroad Brunswick Stew,” contestants brought varieties that were spicy, sweet, savory and everything in between.
The competitions were nestled in the North Lobby of the J.S. Dorton Area behind a horseshoe counter, which invoked the feeling of a classic diner. The competitors arrived early with their meals pre-cooked, which were then assembled and brought out one by one to a panel of judges.
Tommy Jenkins, a Home Chef Challenge judge for the past three years, was on the panel for the Brunswick Stew Challenge on Saturday. One of his favorite parts of judging continues to be the diversity of classic meals that he sees at every competition.
“I’ve had Brunswick stew many times in my life, but there were so many different varieties here that I never expected,” Jenkins said.
With a sizable crowd gathered in the North Lobby, the competition began with announcer Fabrizio Bianchi introducing the first stew to the judges. Bianchi, who started announcing for the Home Chef Challenge this year, has previously worked in various roles across the fair, from the quiltmaking competition to the lost-and-found.
On Saturday, Bianchi brought something new to the Home Chef Challenge: trivia. In between rounds, while judges ate and rated the dishes, Bianchi sprinkled in fun and insightful facts about Brunswick stew. His trivia, highlighting the origins of Brunswick stew varieties across different southern regions, kept the pace of the competition interesting.
Bianchi’s idea for trivia came from his first experience announcing the weekend before.
“I did it last weekend and it would just be like, after I finished announcing the recipe, just five to ten minutes of silence,” Bianchi said. “And I thought, okay, it’d be nice to spice it up.”
After every contestant’s stew had been tasted, the judges headed to the back of the kitchen to tally up their scores. In first place was a stew titled “Squirrels are Safe” by Lisa Brescia. The dish included smoked sausage, onions, garlic, bone broth, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, hot sauce, duck and smoked paprika.
Jennifer Currie, a Clyde, N.C, resident who has driven five hours for the past three years to participate in the Home Chef Challenge, finished third. Currie, who placed in multiple challenges throughout the week, including first for the SweetPotato Showdown Challenge, is a longtime contestant. Her stew, the “Savory and Bold,” is a traditional family recipe with a cayenne-pepper kick.
“It’s my grandmother’s recipe and then my dad added to it and I’ve added to it, so it kind of progresses over the years,” Currie said.
For many contestants like Currie, the Home Chef Challenge makes way for a meaningful tradition and is a tasty reason to keep coming back to the N.C. State Fair every year.
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Dining and Cooking