It’s October and that means it’s time for the Got To Be NC Cooking stage at the North Carolina State Fair. I’m thrilled to be back at the NC State Fair, joining my friends from the NC Department of Agriculture and the GotToBeNC team for 10 days of fun, flavor, and local flair. You’ll find me inside the historic Dorton Arena, home of the GotToBeNC Pavilion, a lively showcase of all things grown, raised, caught, and crafted right here in our state. The arena floor transforms into a NC food hall filled with farmers, makers, and producers sampling and selling their homegrown goods.

At the far end of the Pavilion, you’ll spot the GotToBeNC Cooking Stage – my home away from home for the stretch of the fair. It’s here that the most delicious things will be happening from Friday Oct 17 through Oct 26.

What you’ll find at the GotTobeNC Cooking Stage

For this nine day stretch, I’ll be hosting chef-driven cooking demos with my good friend Chad Blackwelder from the NC Department of Agriculture. Each demo spotlights North Carolina ingredients and the talented people who bring them to life.

Chefs will cook with dozens of local ingredients both from vendors in the pavilion as well as selections from our onstage pantry. Pantry items this year include a host of local product including Spicewalla spices, Tidewater Grain Company rices, olive oils and vinegars from The Italian Fork and Olive Crate, nut butters and honey from Coddle Creek farms, Cheerwine syrup and Lusty Monk Mustard. Our lineup of nearly 30 chefs will take the stage to share their favorite recipes, tell their stories, and serve up a true taste of the Old North State. We’ll have giveaways, trivia, and plenty of audience fun, too.

Our Onstage Chef’s Table

At each demo, there is the chance for six lucky fairgoers to join us at the onstage Chefs’ Table. It is quite literally, the best seat in the house.

These lucky participants get to sample the demo dishes, enjoy the NC wine pairings and have their photos taken with the chefs and farmers at each demo.

The Got To Be NC Cooking stage feature local wine pairings, too!

In addition to farmers and chefs, the cooking stage this year will also feature pour of NC wines, ciders or meads especially paired with each featured dish.

I’ll be sharing recipes and recaps all along the way, plus info on where to buy each of the featured wine and where to go to try them for yourself… so keep following along here and on all of my social media feeds.

The fun, food and flavors on stage start on Friday Oct 17, 2025

Our first demo is at 3 pm on Oct 17th…

Friday Oct 17
3 pm – Winner Winner, THE BEST Fried Chicken Dinner with Captain John Mallette of Southern Breeze Seafood in Jacksonville NC

5pm – Keeping it Local – Chopped, GotToBeNC Style – WRAL’s Ken
Smith will be joining us as we cook with the Food Network 2025 Chopped Champion and 2023 NCRLA Chef of the Year and GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador, Chef Adé Carrena of Dounou Cuisine in
Raleigh NC; and 2024 Chopped Champion, Chef Nicholas Chavez of Dram Yard in Wilmington NC

Sat Oct 18 Brings the heat and something sweet

1pm – Spice & Simmer: Indian Home Cooking, Carolina Style with James Beard Finalist Chef Preeti Waas of Cheeni in Durham NC.
3 pm – Chocolate and Caramel Treats with NC Apples. With award-winning chocolatier, Chef Justin Fry of JF Chocolates in Charlotte NC
5 pm – Cooking for Company with Chef Andres Prussing, of the Marriott Charlotte City Center in Charlotte NC

On the Got To Be NC Cooking Stage Sunday Oct 19

1 pm – Cooking from the Carolina Coast with James Beard Finalist Chef Jamie
Davis of The Hackney in Washington NC
3 pm – The Flavors of Local Fungi: cooking with mushrooms with Chef Bobby
McFarland, Glasshouse Kitchen in Durham, NC
5 pm – Carolina Gold: James Beard Finalist Chef Jamie Davis of The Hackney in
Washington NC cooking with Tidewater Grain Company, Oriental NC

Week Two of the NC State Fair starts on the Sweeter Side

3 pm -The Sweeter Side of Eating Locally with NCRLA 2023 Pastry Chef of the Year and GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador, Pastry Chef Emily Parker of Sweet Violets in Greenville NC

5 pm – Cooking with NC Sweetpotatoes with NCRLA 2023 Pastry Chef of the Year and GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador, Pastry Chef Emily Parker of Sweet Violets in Greenville NC

Tuesday Oct 21
1 pm – Homemade Pasta with a NC Twist. With Chef Taylor Halley of The Wine Feed in Durham NC
3 pm – Easy Fall Desserts. With 2021 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year and GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador, Food Network Guys Grocery Games alumnus, Chef Tie Whitaker of Buttermilk Boutique in Clayton NC

5 pm – A GotToBeNC “Chopped”-style Competition with Chef Tie Whitaker of
Buttermilk Boutique in Clayton NC and Chef Sera Cuni, Food Network Chopped and Guys Grocery Games alumnus and champion of Supermarket Stakeout; owner Café Root Cellar in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro NC and Feed Well Fridges in Chatham County NC

Then, on Tuesday Oct 22 at the GotToBeNC Cooking Stage

1pm – The Spices of Caribbean Cuisine with Food Network Cutthroat
Kitchen alumnus, Chef Lemar Farrington. Lemar is the chef/owner of the Triangle’s Amalieä Dining & Events
3 pm – The Flavors of North Carolina with Chef Daniel Murray of Cypress Hall in New Bern NC
5 pm – Drinking Seasonally: Fall Cocktails and Mocktails with Mixologist Shannon Healy of James Beard Outstanding Bar Program finalist Alley 26 In Durham NC

Next up, Thursday Oct 23…

1 pm – A Taste Of Raleigh with Chef Jake Wolf and Chef Greg Poole, Jr. of Empire Eats in Raleigh NC

3 pm – Gustu Peruano! NC influences on authentic Peruvian flavors with Chef
Mauricio Huarcaya, of Gustu Peruano Food truck in Wilmington NC. Mauricio is the 2025 NCRLA Chef of the Year; 2024 and 2025 NCRLA Chef Showdown Peoples’ Choice winner; 2025 GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador.

5 pm – Cooking with Cast Iron with Chef Luke Owen of Native Fine Diner and Julep Contemporary Kitchen in Greenville NC and Jason Allen of Carolina Cooker Cast Iron

The Last Weekend of the 2025 NC State Fair features these chefs onstage:

1pm – The Flavors of Saltbox Seafood with award-winning Chef Ricky Moore. Ricky is the 2025 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef Semifinalist; 2022 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southeast; and the Chef and owner Saltbox Seafood in Durham NC

3 pm – Everything you need to know about North Carolina Tuna. NC Catch ambassador and board member, Captain John Mallette of Southern Breeze Seafood in Jacksonville NC shows how its done.
5 pm – How to Cook Local Seafood with Chef Bobby McFarland, Glasshouse
Kitchen in Durham, NC and Captain John Mallette of Southern Breeze Seafood in Jacksonville NC

Sat Oct 25 –
1 pm – Rice, Beans and NC Beef with Chef Andres Prussing, Marriott Charlotte City Center in Charlotte NC

3 pm – It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere: Shaking and Stirring Local Spirits with
Mixologist David Bowen, 2022 NCRLA Mixologist of the Year; owner Easy Talk and Ginger Fox in Winston Salem NC

5 pm – My Mom and Me: Handing Down West African Cooking with Food Network 2025 Chopped Champion; 2023 NCRLA Chef of the Year and GotTobeNC Culinary Ambassador, Chef Adé Carrena of Dounou Cuisine in Raleigh NC and her mom!

Sun Oct 26 –
1 pm – Cooking with NC Seafood with Chef Keith Rhodes, chef and owner Catch Seafood in Wilmington NC; James Beard finalist for Best Chef, Southeast;. Bravo TV’s Top Chef season 9, alumnus.

3 pm – Farm to Table Dinner with Chef Keith Rhodes, chef and owner Catch Seafood in Wilmington NC; James Beard finalist for Best Chef, Southeast;. Bravo TV’s TopChef season 9, alumnus.
5 pm – Cooking with North Carolina Pork with Chef Kevin Ruiz of CUYA Cocina
Latina in Raleigh NC;