Be a judge at these match-ups -- make your reservation today!

Tues. Mar.3rd
Restaurant G’s Michael Foreman
Artisanal’s Bill Greene

Wed. Mar. 4th
Manor House/Chetola’s Michael Barbato
Gamekeeper Restaurant’s Ken Gordon

Tues. Mar.10th
Ciao Bello/Meadowbrook Inn’s Guy Thomas
Pssghetti’s Jordan Allen

Wed. Mar.11th
Canyon’s Daniel Bock
Createring’s Marietta DeBriere

Tues. Mar. 17th
Hound Ear’s Dominic Geraghty
Storie Street Grille’s Andrew Long

Wed. Mar. 18th
The Table/Crestwood’s Chuck Nelson
Casa Rustica’s Sam Beasely

Tues. Mar. 24th
Glidewell’s Will Burrell
Jackson’s Dining Rm/Broyhill’s Guy Branaman

Wed. Mar. 25th
Crippen’s James Welch
The Library/Green Park Inn’s Jamie Lyda

Aimed at filling in 8 precious spots for this year's 2009 Fire on the Rock Chef's Challenge part of the 4th Annual Blue Ridge Food and Wine Festival being held April 16th - 19th in the beautiful resort village of Blowing Rock. Crippen's Country Inn & Restaurant is hosting a series of chef's competitions Tuesday and Wednesday nights for the entire month of March leading up to the festival . 

Every Tuesday and Wednesday night two chefs from local restaurants will go head to head battling it out for a full six rounds!  Here's the best part: you get to be the judge! Each challenge will begin at 6:30pm, reservations required. Six Course Competition Menu is $39 per guest (beverages, tax and tip not included).

Crippen says "the secret ingredient will not be revealed until the day of each event, that way the guests will not be able to know what their favorite chef is cooking. We want each restaurants' guests to come and support their chefs, but we don't want it to be a popularity contest." They are limited to only the ingredients provided which are all raw product sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. 

Guests will be given a scoring sheet with the same guidelines a food critic goes by.  As a matter of fact, the sheet has been created by John Batchelor, the Greensboro News and Record's food critic of more than 30 years.  Batchelor is the founding Judge of the Fire On The Rock Chef's Challenge.

Guests will not know whose dish is whose when they are tasting them.  Challenges have been randomly drawn and will be judged equally, regardless of their home restaurant's style. Winner of each battle goes on to compete in the 2009 Fire On The Rock Chef's Challenge.

Contact Crippen's at 828-295-3487 or reservations@crippens.com . Located on Sunset Drive in Blowing Rock.