Sweet Corn, Cast Iron and Pecan Wood Chips
By Misti C. Lee RALEIGH - As she unpacked and carefully placed ingredients onto a metal workstation, chef Amanda Ezzell of Warsaw pulled out one of her secret ingredients, a Ziploc bag filled with three ears of locally grown sweet corn, plucked from a farmer’s field in Duplin County. Armed with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet and lots of fresh vegetables, Ezzell had just arrived at the semi-final regional round of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association Chef Showdown, held on July 19 at Wake Technical Community College’s Baking and Pastry Campus in Raleigh. Along with 19 other chefs, Ezzell will be advancing on from the regional competition to the final showdown, to be held August 9 at Bay 7 in Durham. “I want to represent not just myself, but my family, my Southern roots,” said Ezzell, who runs Ezzell Catering and the Somethin’ Good food truck. “I’m representing our farmers, because without them we wouldn’t have food to cook, we wouldn’t have a job, and I’m just