12 chefs advance in competition for their own Burgaw restaurant

On Saturday afternoon in downtown Burgaw, 24 chefs from North Carolina and across the country prepared samples of their best dish and answered questions about their potential plans and culinary backgrounds – all in hopes of winning their own restaurant.

In the Own Your Own Competition, put together for Richard Johnson and the Burgaw Now effort to revitalize the historic town, one winner will get the keys to a restaurant at 106-108 W. Courthouse Ave. and up to $1 million to build and outfit the space.

The Town Square Cook-off (which took place as a part of Burgaw’s inaugural Autumn Fest) was meant to whittle down the field even more.

Each contestant had their own pop-up kitchen and served samples of their signature dish to 200 community judges, as well as the panel of award-winning chefs, including Christi Ferretti of Pine Valley Market, Myra and James McDuffie of Mema’s Chick’n & Ribs, Keith Rhodes of Catch, Bill Scott of Cape Fear Seafood Company and Kevin and Emmaline Kozak of Burgaw Brewing.  A film crew was also there, in preparation for a possible reality show.

At the end of the event, the list of hopeful restaurateurs is down to 12, based on what the judges believe will be a good fit for Burgaw’s food scene.

This week, those who advanced face more challenges, including a review of business plans and working shifts at the judges’ restaurants. Two finalists will then prepare a seasonal three-course meal and a winner is scheduled to be named on Oct. 29. 

Here’s a look at the chefs who are still in the running.

Nathaniel Blanford, Cincinnati

His farm-to-table restaurant concept is called Pharm & Sea, which has a “good food cures all” focus. The Army veteran now serves as the culinary director for a restaurant group that includes five bars, two coffee shops, and seven restaurants. He prepared samples of pan-seared scallops with a roasted corn risotto with a blueberry gastrique.

Shawn Buskirk, Holly Ridge

This chef’s concept called Majorie’s is envisioned as a wood-fired restaurant. And he offered samples of wood-fired skirt steak for the judges. He’s spent many years in the restaurant industry and started a private chef catering business in 2018. His restaurant would be a community driven eatery offering eclectic dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, he said.

Christopher Carlo, Waterford, Michigan

This chef offered samples of Uovo Ravioli, a dish with fresh pasta that encases a runny egg yolk when you cut into it. He has spent more than 15 years in the hospitality industry. His concept is called Courthouse Cafe and will feature an open floor plan, kitchen, and environment for families and friends to come together and unite over exceptional food and drinks.

Mandy Chow, Wilmington

Supporters of this chef were wearing T-shirts with the logo of her concept called The Funky Wonton. She was raised in a restaurant family and has been a part of the business since she was 15. Since the age of 15. Her concept would serve Asian-American dishes with a Southern flare. She served slices The Crouching Chicken, a sandwich with fried chicken, pickled carrots and Asian slaw.

Matthew Cole, Winterville

Although he now has a food truck serving Hawaiian street food, the chef’s concept Homage, would focus on the food of his native South Carolina. He attended the Culinary Institute of America and has more than 30 years of experience in high-end restaurants. He and his wife  Shaina offered samples of smoked bacon and butternut squash soup with wild boar hash.

Zachary Fabian, of Jersey City, New Jersey

This chef’s concept is Fred’s Garage – but he plans to use his culinary education and experience to offer an elevated menu with a modern-industrial concept, an open floor plan, communal seating, and great food, drinks and music. He prepared coconut koji prawns with a crispy rice.

Joe Friday, Toronto

After attending high school in Jacksonville, this chef went on to the Walt Disney culinary program, which allowed him to gain experience at restaurants in Europe and Asia. Most of his career has been in fine dining, at restaurants like The French Laundry and Nobu in Hawaii. This concept, though, reverse-engineers the smash burger – beginning with his own special pickle recipe. He would also serve chicken sandwiches, salads and more in his retro-style diner concept.

Penny Hayes, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

This chef, who also has extensive experience in various kitchen roles including being the chef de cuisine at the illustrious DeBordieu Club in Georgetown, South Carolina, wants to bring a concept called Heritage Noodle House to Burgaw. She and her husband now have the Fire to Table restaurant in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Heritage would feature her favorite noodle dishes (and other menu items) from a variety of countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and China. She served samples of smoky Japanese noodles with crispy pork belly.

Brandon Hunsaker, Escondido, California

In a West Coast-meets-East Coast restaurant, this chef would offer a two-part concept that includes Callie Restaurant, a cocktail bar and pastry shop, with a full-service dinner. His background includes a mix of corporate and "mom and pop" training and currently co-owns and serves as executive chef at his namesake, Hunsakers, in Southern California. He offered duck-filled tamales with fresh pomegranate.

Khristen Hunter, Wilmington

This chef wants to use her experience in breakfast-and-lunch restaurants to offer a concept called Patty’s Corner Kitchen. She envisions is as a community gathering spot serving Southern-inspired, scratch made breakfast, brunch, and lunch. For the cook-off, she offered a twist on chicken-and-waffles, where fried chicken was served on savory cheddar waffles with a spiced honey butter sauce.

Karoline Schwartz, Tabernash, Colorado

This chef might come from another state, but she's rooted in the local food movement. For her restaurant concept called Outland, she would want to support the local community and offer scratch-made food sourced as much as possible from sustainable farms. She started in the industry as a barista and steadily progressed through positions such as bartender, chef, and general manager. Her sample dish was miso pork belly with crispy Carolina Gold rice and muscadine grape gelee.

Bart Weber, Hickory

Although a few chefs served their version of shrimp and grits at the cook-off, this one must have been a favorite. This chef started working in restaurants alongside his father at 9 years old. After getting a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Charlotte, he worked at a number of restaurants and is currently a catering chef. His concept Bistro 110 would incorporate local, fresh ingredients sourced from across North Carolina to be used in seasonal menus, food and drink pairings, cooking classes, and brunch on the weekends.

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Chefs compete to win Burgaw restaurant