NC's Best Dish Awards

Posted by Linda J Bottjer Oct 21, 2007

I love it when people I know, or have met, win something.

Especially when they are nice and really deserve it.

Recently one buddy won $1500 at LOTTO, a musician friend triumphed at a Best of the Bands contest and Wilmington NC's Chef Keith Rhodes came up a double winner at the ”Best Dish in North Carolina ” competition.

I had the privilege of eating at Rhode's downtown restaurant, Catch, several months ago and was impressed with the food - a wonderful creamy and succulent shrimp and grits platter - and the young man who created it.

First he has loads of energy as he holds down two time-consuming jobs. One as owner and chef at Catch the eatery he opened with his wife, Angela, almost a year ago. Then after cooking for the breakfast and lunch crowds at his own place, he shines again as the Executive Chef for the respected city restaurant Deluxe.

For most of us that would be plenty – but not for Chef Kevin! He also creates recipes from the bounty of fresh food, along the Cape Fear and Atlantic coasts, for both establishments.

Typical regional dishes offered at Deluxe are Sneed’s Ferry littleneck clams, river prawns in Tom ka soup and locally caught grouper paired with steamed asparagus and fingerling potato-jumbo lump crab hash.

Other seafood delights from Catch include: North Carolina lump crab cake on yellow curry potato salad with micro greens; a sweet potato salad with goat cheese, organic spinach, blueberries, shaved coconut and blueberry Thai basil dressing.

I can barely keep writing for the drooling.

But I guess my most important question for Chef Keith is not what inspires him, nor how the culinary world captured his heart – but rather a simple request.

What vitamins do you take?

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