Greer Chef Mike Sibert celebrates appearance on Food Network's 'Guy's Grocery Games'

Greer Chef Mike Sibert was only two points away from winning $20,000 on Food Network's "Guy's Grocery Games."

Sibert, owner of White Wine & Butter restaurant at Cartwright Food Hall on Trade Street in Greer, competed against three other chefs. The winning chef's dish received 42 points. Sibert's dish received 41 points.

The show's host, Guy Fieri, surprised the chefs by having them compete in only one elimination round instead of three. He made the challenge more difficult by demanding the chefs' ingredients not weigh over 8 pounds. The final surprise was the chefs had to use three of four ingredients ― microwave popcorn, strawberry yogurt, fig bars or squeezed cheese.

The chefs had 30 minutes to prepare and plate their dishes. And three judges evaluated the dishes. The chefs raced down aisles of ingredients looking for other items to add to their dishes.

Sibert prepared a lollipop lamb with an apricot and fig jam, served over a bed of creamy, cheese grits.

"It was fun, and I even got my own trailer, which was cool," Sibert said. "It was somewhere I can definitely come back to and do it again. I don't see it being my last time on TV at all. Guy is so cool, and what you see on TV is how he is in real life. He's super personable and gave us advice on anything and everything. He gave us all a speech before everything started, and I felt like I could run through a brick wall afterward."

Friends and family come out to support Sibert

Sibert appeared on episode six of season 33. The show was taped last year and aired Wednesday night. A watch party was held-at Cartwright Food Hall (215 Trade St.) in Greer.

A crowd enjoyed drinks and meals as their attention was focused on the TV screens, watching the intense food battle. Sibert's on-screen appearance elicited roaring applause throughout the building, with all eyes fixed on the action.

His mother, Cassandra Tutt-Sibert, attended the watch party. She said he was always experimenting in the kitchen, attempting to cook hamburgers at the age of 5.

"I had worked a 12-hour shift, and his aunt called him looking for me," Tutt-Sibert said. "She asked him what he was doing, and he said 'I'm cooking hamburger and french fries.' My grandfather was a cook in McCormick County, and he [Sibert] would walk behind him and say 'I'm gonna be just like you.' My mom was known for cooking and nobody could make her eggs the way she made them, but Michael made her eggs perfectly."

Tutt-Sibert said she was excited when her son called to tell her about being on the show. She held back tears as she talked about how proud she was of her son.

Sibert graduated from Cornell University and learned from renowned chefs in New Orleans. He brought new culinary dishes to Greer through his Cajun-Italian casual dining concept.

Family and friends jumped out of their seats when the judges praised Sibert's dish. The crowd was cheering him on and making toasts hoping Sibert would win the $20,000 grand prize.

Mark MaHuffy, a White Wine & Butter regular, said Sibert's celebration was highly deserved.

"Michael is a great chef and a great person overall," MaHuffy said. "They brought the Cajun food to Greer and we all got to see his talent and ability on the big screen, which was simply amazing. We love coming here. And eat here about two to four times a month."

What Sibert learned on 'Guy's Grocery Games'

Food Network reached out to Sibert through the restaurant's Instagram page. Sibert said he applied to be on a different Food Network show when he was in culinary school. He said "Guy's Grocery Games" is the beginning of his on-screen appearances.

Sibert continues working on his "Guy's Grocery Games" recipe and said it is exciting to serve a variation of his dish to other people.

"We have a variation of this dish now on our private dining menus," Sibert said. "I had to tell them (customers) that it was a very special dish, and how I competed on Food Network. I couldn't make the exact dish, but we created a variation."

Sibert believes with the right mindset, you can create anything regardless of the ingredients you have on hand. If you have a vision and the drive to bring it to life, you can overcome obstacles and accomplish great things.

"There's a lot of things that you could do if you sit down and think about it," Sibert said. "You can think about all the things you did differently, but when you're in the moment you just want to stick to what you know. Don't veer too far off from what you know."

Sibert enjoyed sharing his moment on Food Network with family, friends

Sibert said that having the opportunity to celebrate with his friends, family and other supporters felt euphoric. Everyone cheered and applauded Sibert as they watched the show together. Hugs and high-fives were given to Sibert, congratulating him on this exciting occasion.

"This is euphoria, it's just on top of the world," Sibert said. "Nobody can take this experience away from me. I have my friends here, my family here, we're sitting in my restaurant and there's nothing nobody can say or tell me. This is good for me, my company, our community and it's going to open the door to many more things that we're gonna do."

Reach Joanna Johnson via email at jjohnson@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Greer Chef Mike Sibert appears with Guy Fieri on Food Network show