ASHEVILLE - For the second consecutive year, an Arden chef has won diners over with her original dessert in a statewide culinary competition.
The 8th annual North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Chef Showdown, a monthslong series presented by Got To Be NC, began in March with preliminary and semifinal rounds with 84 chef and mixologist contestants from across the state competing in various categories.
On Aug. 26, the grand finale was hosted in Durham with the top 20 chefs, five pastry chefs and six bartender and distillery teams facing off.
Jill Heaton (née Wasilewski), chef and owner of Ivory Road, brought home the People’s Choice for Best Dessert award for her Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée.
It’s the second time the chef has competed in the Chef Showdown and the second time she has won the award.
“The chefs are congratulating each other and trying each other’s food and interested in what the other person is doing. Everybody’s happy for everybody that wins. It’s not a cutthroat competition," Heaton said.
“I love the atmosphere and how you make a couple of new friends each year. It’s a nice environment that they make. It’s more supportive and collaborative than anything else,” she said.
Chef Jill Heaton’s award-winning dessert
According to the NCRLA, the organization represents the interests of more than 20,000 businesses in the state and works to advance and protect the $34.9 billion restaurant, food service and lodging industry as the hospitality industry's voice.
Got To Be NC, a statewide initiative driven by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, promotes the state’s agricultural products and goods.
A criterion for the Chef Showdown contestants was to showcase N.C. ingredients in their creations.
“The more local, seasonal ingredients you used the better,” Heaton said.
Heaton's Sweet Corn Crème Brûlée featured graham cracker cake, basil-marinated peaches and a saffron milk crumble.
She said she used North Carolina farm-sourced corn, heavy cream, eggs, peaches and basil.
“I infused the sweet corn into the crème brûlée mixture before baking it so it’s like an Appalachian or North Carolina twist on a classic,” said Heaton, a classically trained culinary artist.
The same dish was served to judges in the semifinals earning her a place in the grand finale where she prepared the dish for the panel and 500 guests.
“Even though corn is sweet it’s more of a savory ingredient. I think that was interesting to some people,” she said. “Between corn, peaches and basil it was like the most summery dessert you could have so I think people appreciated that, too.”
For the preliminary round, Heaton presented judges with a Pudding-Stuffed Bread Pudding ― a cube of bread pudding filled with vanilla bean pudding that poured out when cut into. It was topped with sorghum tuile, strawberries and miso caramel using miso from the Asheville-based brand, Miso Master.
“The idea again was to take classic comfort foods and elevate them,” Heaton said.
What’s next at Ivory Road
Earlier this year, Heaton converted Ivory Road from a full-service restaurant to a culinary events space and wine club at 1854 Brevard Road.
Heaton, who recently married her longtime partner, plans to pause operations as the couple expects their first child this fall. Heaton said it’s not the end of Ivory Road and intends to resume events in the new year after winter.
Heaton will host several more events before the hiatus.
On Sept. 19, Ivory Road and Mountain Brook Vineyards will host the September Wine Dinner from 6-9 p.m. with four courses, passed appetizers and five paired wines. The cost is $70 per person, plus $25 for the optional wine pairing.
On Sept. 26, Two Trees Distilling will join Ivory Road for a four-course Bourbon Dinner from 6-9:30 p.m. The Fletcher-based distillery will share details about its bourbon-making process and brand and offer co*cktail pairings. The cost is $120 per person.
The events are for guests ages 21 and up. Tax and gratuity are included in the costs. View the full calendar and purchase tickets at ivoryroadavl.com/events/.
Chef Showdown winners
This year’s Chef Showdown top title, Chef of the Year, was awarded to Matthew Deering from Dot Dot Dot in Charlotte.
Savanna Brodar from The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst won Pastry Chef of the Year.
Mixologist and Distiller of the Year went to Miguel Angel Latorre, Jr. from Revival 1869 in Clayton, who also won the newest category for the competition: Best Mocktail of the Year.
The 2024 Distillery of the Year is Broadslab Distillery in Benson.
View the full list of award winners at ncrla.org/ncrla-events/2024-ncrla-chef-showdown/.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with asubscription to the Citizen Times.
