Final Fire: Chefs battle for state's (bragging) rights

Jon Fortes of Mimosa Grill (that's him on the far right) will take on John Bobby of the Winston-Salem Noble's (center) on Nov. 20, in the Got To Be NC competition dining extravaganza's championship bout, dubbed "Final Fire: Battle of the Champions."

This last series, held at Raleigh's Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel, continues Nov. 21 as Dean Thompson of Flights (at the Renaissance Raleigh; he's second from right) takes on the Nov. 20 winner. Then Gerry Fong of Persimmons in New Bern (second from left) goes up against Adam Hayes of Red Stag Grill in Asheville on Nov. 22, and that winner takes on the Nov. 21 one in the final knockdown dragout on Nov. 23.

Tickets are $119 (excluding drinks, tax and tip) and go on sale at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at www.competitiondining.com/events/final-fire.

The winner gets $4,000, a hand-forged set of knives from Charlotte-based Ironman Forge and a trip to the pro chef program at the CIA Greystone campus in Napa Valley; runner-up gets $1,000.

A reminder on how it works: Diners get to blind-taste each of six courses created with a featured N.C. ingredient (the chefs, who do three courses each, find out what it is an hour before cooking), and rate them, as do culinary and guest judges, and the ratings are tallied to produce a winner. Photo is from Got To Be NC Competition Dining Series.