Excited this week and next Oct 14-24, 2021, to be hosting the GotToBeNC cooking stage at The NC State Fair. You can file this one under the #LoveWhatIDo hashtag.

Time for a bit of fall fun, and I am delighted to be joining my friends at the NC Department of Agriculture and lots of North Carolina chefs, farmers and producers inside the NC GotToBeNC Pavilion for the 10-Day stretch of the NC State Fair! The Department of Ag has taken over Dorton Arena at the state fairgrounds and reshaped it into the GotToBeNC Pavilion. Over 40 local vendors will be sampling and selling local products on the floor of the arena, now set up like a trade show of sorts.

Then, at one end of the arena, the GotToBeNC team along with the team at the NC State Farmers' Market in Raleigh did an amazing job crafting a cooking stage filled with local product, sponsored in part by Carolina Cooker, a local NC producer of cast iron and enamel on iron cookware.

Coming to you from the GotToBeNC cooking stage at Dorton Arena at the NC State Fair

On Wednesday Oct 13 during set up, Chad and I filmed a little behind the scenes instagram live video, with the help of the GotToBeNC media team.

Always love catching the fun with everyone behind the camera. Cheers to these two, from the GotTOBeNC media and marketing team... Beth Romer behind the cue cards and Zack Mussler behind the camera.

You can watch the video of our instagram live here, with a taste of the deliciousness coming up on the cooking stage Thursday Oct 14 through Sunday Oct 24 with shout outs to the chefs and farmers doing demos this week.

Take a moment, and hop on your phone or computer, to follow my social media feeds, and those of Chad Blackwelder and GotToBeNC on Instagram and Facebook. Look for photos of all the fun while you are on those feeds. Then, come back here for an update of this post with photos right here on Sunday evening, Oct 14, 2021.


Cooking On Stage at the NC State Fair

Meanwhile, make plans to come to Raleigh and join us. Here is the GotToBeNC NC State Fair Cooking Stage schedule in its entirety. We can't wait to see you in the crowd.

Thursday Oct 14 -1 pm - Chef Patrick Cowden, The Farmhouse Cafe, in Wendell, NC

Thursday Oct 14 - 3 pm -  Mocktails with Alley Twenty Six in Durham, NC - Read more about Alley Twenty Six Durham and their award winning syrups here.

Friday Oct 15 - 1 and 3 pm  - Chef Jay Vetter and team, Harvest Table Culinary Group

Saturday Oct 16 - 1 pm - Heidi Billotto with NC Specialty Foods Award Winner Jim Millican of Big Delicious Carolina Sausage Dip 

Saturday Oct 16 - 3 pm - Chef Kevin Ruiz, The Rockford, Raleigh NC - Watch Kevin and Chad cook their take on State Fair foods here.

Sunday Oct 17 - 1 pm - Chef Keith Rhodes, Catch Restaurant in Wilmington, NC

Sunday Oct 17 - 3 pm  - Chef Ricky Moore, Saltbox Seafood Joint in Durham NC


Onstage at the NC State Fair GotToBeNC Cooking Stage on Monday Oct 18:

1 pm - Chef Jamie Davis, The Hackney, in Washington NC

3 pm - Chef Tie Whitaker, Buttermilk Boutique, Clayton NC

5 pm - Chef Ashleigh Fleming, Blue Jay Bistro, Littleton NC

Coming up on Tuesday Oct 19

1 pm - Chef Chad Blackwelder cooks with Burwell Farms Truffles and Truffle Salt

3 pm - Chef Jake Wood, Lawrence BBQ in Raleigh NC

5 pm - A Taste from the Outer Banks with Basnight 's Lone Cedar Cafe in Nags Head, NC

Here's what's cooking on Wednesday Oct 20 & Oct 21

1 pm - Heidi Billotto with Sana Siddiqui creator of 1Eatz, seasonings for eggs and more read more here

3 pm -Heidi Billotto with The Turmeric Zone, turmeric honey and more  read more here

5 pm - Chef Chad Blackwelder cooks with Ty Thomas of TonTon Sauces with Earp's Seafood of Raleigh 

Thursday Oct 21 - 1 and 3 pm -  Mocktails with Alley Twenty Six, Durham, NC

More from the NC State Fair GotToBeNC cooking stage: Oct 22 & 23

Friday Oct 22 - 1 pm - Chef Saif Rahman, Vidrio Restaurant in Raleigh, NC

Friday Oct 22 - 3 pm  - Cooking with Tommy Wheeler and Chuck Hall  from the Kitchens at Tidewater Grain Co in Oriental, NC. Check out this link to one of my recipe's for cooking with Tidewater's Carolina Gold Rice.

Saturday Oct 23 - 1 pm - Chef Chad Blackwelder does Burgers with  Shipley Dry Aged Beef and Gray Shipley of Shipley Farms, Vilas, NC

Saturday Oct 23 - 3 pm - Chef Kyle Fletcher, Craft Concepts Kitchen at Triangle Beer Co., Cary NC