Shrimp and Grits Throwdown

Posted by Kathy Worm on 28 February 2012 | 1 Comments

Tags: recipes, contest, food

Imagine this: A blustery and cold day on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Now imagine this: A room at the elegant Carolina Inn filled with seven of the top chefs in the Chapel Hill area preparing the ultimate Southern comfort food, Shrimp and Grits. Finally, imagine this: Getting to taste all this great food and benefit a charity at the same time.

Well, dreams came true at the first Shrimp ~N~ Grits Throwdown held at the Carolina Inn on Saturday to benefit TABLE, a non-profit organization run by UNC students that helps to feed local children at risk of hunger. The participating chefs included Jeremy Blankenship of Tyler's Restaurant & Tap Room, Trey Cleveland of Top of the Hill, Adam Cobb of Glasshalfull, Bret Jennings of Elaine's on Franklin, Vimala Rajendran of Vimala's Curry Blossom Café, Jimmy Reale of Carolina Crossroads Restaurant and Bar, and Adam Rose of Il Palio. 

Each chef prepared their own special version of Shrimp and Grits and provided generous tasting samples for the sold-out crowd of 225. The judges awarded the top prize to Trey Cleveland of the Top of the Hill, but the fans voted Vimala Rajendran of Vimala’s Curry Blossom Café as the winner. 

Now, some of you may be wondering just how different Shrimp and Grits can really be. And to tell you the truth, so was I on the drive over to the Throwdown. But let me tell you, the answer is that they can be very different. Jimmy Reale of the Carolina Inn used bacon and a lobster veloute to infuse a wonderfully Southern smoky flavor to the dish. Il Palio chef Adam Rose used secret ingredients Pernod and Chardonnay (Adam also wins points from me for best sous-chef — his daughter). Adam Cobb of Glasshalfull filled his spicy version with chorizo sausage and cayenne pepper. Bret Jennings of Elaine’s on Franklin presented a unique version with Niman Ranch Grilled Pork Tenderloin, roasted corn, country ham and red eyed gravy. Jeremy Blankenship of Tyler’s Tap Room had a more traditional twist with lots of andouille sausage and peppers. The judge’s favorite from Top of the Hill’s chef Trey Cleveland was a creamy warm version of the dish with a wild mushroom grit cake — the ultimate in comfort and yum. The most unusual version came from Vimala Rajendran, the chef/owner of Vimala’s Curry Blossom Café. Her version featured grits filled with asiago cheese and a warm, curry and cinnamon spiced sauce that packed quite a kick. 

I guess these differences highlight the fact that the Chapel Hill area is home to wonderfully creative chefs — and their creativity caused me to go home and try a new way of cooking Sunday afternoon. Isn’t that what it's all about?

Want to try one of these fabulous recipes at home? The chefs shared their recipes — check them out at www.carolinainnthrowdown.com.