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WNC Chefs Challenge Round 6: Never Blue vs. Strada

Issue: 
April 2012
Photographs by: 
Camilla Calnan
Guest judge and Mountain Xpress food writer Mackensy Lunsford with Jess McCuan, editor of Verve magazine
Chef Jesse Roque of Never Blue Tapas Bar and Grill in Hendersonville
Wines were chosen with the secret ingredient, mushrooms, in mind. A host of fungi were provided by Tojo Mushrooms and Sunny Creek Farm.
Diners toast the evening of dish scoring.
Cheers!
Never Blue's bacon and chipotle-seared mushrooms on crispy baguette with poblano-chocolate mole and queso fresco was the night's top dish.
Team Strada plates morel butter-poached shrimp with a slaw of apple, sweet onion, honey, and maitake mushrooms.
Team Never Blue: Executive Chef Jesse Roque, Edson Roque, and Jason Nichols
Team Strada: Chef Anthony Cerrato with Christopher Bangert and Cameron Langston
Wines were chosen to complement the secret ingredient, mushrooms.
Never Blue's portabella and goat cheese corn bread salad with candied shallot vinaigrette, mushrooms, tasso brittle dust, and port caviar
Diners enjoying the evening in the Century Room at Pack's Tavern.
Pork loin, oyster and crimini mushroom roulade with grilled fingerling potatoes, asparagus, and braising jus prepared by Strada.
Petit filet over two potato mushroom hash, topped with wild mushroom-malbec demiglace and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and deep-fried spinach by Never Blue.
The petit filet was ranked the No. 3 dish of the challenge.
A diner prepares to score the only dessert of the evening, black trumpet, morel, and cashew baklava.
Strada's dessert of black trumpet, morel and cashew baklava with cranberry-orange compote and sweet cream was voted the No. 2 dish of the evening.
Chef Cerrato congratulates Chef Roque on her win.