Chef Challenge Recap

Though the forecast called for steady rain, the weather cooperated on Saturday morning and the third annual Durham Farmer’s Market Chef Challenge was a success.

Beginning at 8:30, Fank Stasio, serving as emcee, introduced chefs Billy Cotter (Toast), Josh DeCarolis (Dos Perros and Jujube), and Shane Magowan (Geer Street Garden) and judges Johanna Kramer, Ross Grady, Heather Greer Klein and myself. A modest crowd gathered on the market lawn when he announced the secret ingredient: Okra!

The chefs had two hours to buy their ingredients at the market and prepare entrees for the four judges as well as 70 samples for the crowd.

As I nosed my way around the chef’s stations, I watched Cotter get a pickling mix going early while his assistant prepped vegetables for a stew. 

DeCarolis halved okra and threw them in a saute pan with his house made guanciale while his assistant rolled what looked like pasta dough. 

Magowan, working alone, roasted bell peppers on the long, charcoal grill behind the chef’s stations, thawed ground meat in a bucket of water and chopped onions and ginger root.  He also offered me a one-dollar bribe to throw the competition, complained of the two-note clogging song the bluegrass band was playing from across the street, and accused the other chefs of orchestrating psychological warfare. 

 After a round through the market of my own I dropped back in on the chefs. Unlike an episode of Iron Chef America, they were working diligently but took the time to entertain my small talk.

“Searching for Sicily, eh?” Magowan asked, having heard Stasio plug the blog during introductions. “Have you looked in the south of Italy?”

After his ribbing he told me about his own family’s roots in Emilia-Romana and answered my questions about the ginger greens spread out on his table.

As the crowd migrated towards the aroma of DeCarolis’s guanciale, he shared with me his own Sicilian roots, including the best meal he ate when he visited the island (cuttlefish cooked in its own ink and stuffed with fresh olives and anchovies), his family’s blackened tomato and black pepper sauce, and his plan to use the secret ingredient in a caponata.

As Magowan bantered with the crowd and DeCarolis’ now-famous pork jowls simmered away, Team Cotter quietly went about their work. He did, however, express his disappointment that the secret ingredient wasn’t sweet potatoes, because he was ready to make “the best pierogies you’ve ever seen.” When I told him I was from Cleveland (where people eat more pierogies than sweet potatoes), he assured me that his wife was from Pittsburgh (an even larger pierogi hotbed), and his were legit. 

All three chefs also expressed how surprised they were by the secret ingredient. They knew in advance that it would be an in-season vegetable and widely available at the market, but they were more prepared for peppers, potatoes or eggplant than they were okra. All three had plans to pasta dough, but only DeCarolis followed through.

In any case, as the plates came out and the meals took shape no one looked discouraged. Cotter pulled slices of okra out of its buttermilk bath and quickly breaded and fried it while his stew came together, DeCarolis sautéed padron peppers and seasoned his plates, and Magowan stood over his tomato stew and socialized with his supporters.

 As the time to cook expired, Stasio offered his own favorite okra recipe (find the red ones, toss in olive oil and salt, and broil) and warned the audience to eat it all in one sitting because the vegetable “mucilaginousness” (slime) makes it a lousy leftover.  Then he turned the spotlight over to the real stars of the show and the fun began.

Defending his title and serving first, Cotter presented a tomato and okra stew topped with fried okra and garnished with pickled okra and fresh basil. 

Cotter’s stew was surprisingly light, perhaps because it didn’t cook for very long. The onions and corn kernels added crunch, and there was a great spicy undertone. The fried pieces were perfectly cooked, and the pickles were a fascinating change of pace.

Next, DeCarolis served goat cheese gnocchi with a tomato, onion, okra and collard caponata and topped with fresh peanuts.  

DeCarolis’ dish had a deep, buttery flavor. The okra, despite sharing a pan with the guanciale for what seemed like three days, was surprisingly crispy. I would have never thought to include peanuts and collards with gnocchi, but they both worked really well.

Finally, Magowan presented his tomato and okra stew alongside curried goat and saffron rice. 

The stew was much lighter than I expected, as it ended with a citrus kick instead of Cotter’s spice. The curried goat was my favorite dish of the day.

As the crowd sampled each of the plates and Stasio spoke to audience members about their favorite Durham restaurants, the judges to took notes and compared the three meals.

After just a few minutes of deliberation, we declared Cotter the winner for the second year in a row.

All four judges agreed that although he’d used pretty traditional preparations, he’d done the most with the secret ingredient and really made it the main event. Plus, preparing it three different ways in just two hours was impressive.

Ultimately, what each chef did—Cotter’s pickled okra, DeCarolis’ peanuts and Magowan’s curried goat—they did really well. I’d pay to eat any of these meals again.

Thanks to Helga and Tim MacAller of Four Leaf Farm for recommending me as a judge and market manager Erin Kaufman for the opportunity to participate. I can’t wait to see whose cuisine will reign supreme again next year!