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Nine companies vie for catering supremacy
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Published: May 1, 2009
CONCORD — Scents of filet mignon, sweet potato fries and chocolate filled the old Pillowtex mill on McGill Avenue Wednesday night.
Inside, nine catering companies prepared three courses for a panel of judges and guests during the inaugural "So You Think You Can Cater" event at the new Vintage Motor Club.
Chef Lou Petrozza, who appeared on "Hell's Kitchen," emceed.
The catering companies competed to receive a spot on the list of the five preferred caterers for the Motor Club.
Best Impressions Catering, based in Charlotte, won.
Each catering company prepared an appetizer for the more than 150 attendees and an entree and dessert for the six judges and Petrozza.
For its appetizer, Best Impressions prepared an Angus beef burger on a mini-broche roll with pepper jack cheese and shoestring sweet potato fries. Before Best Impressions won the competition, many of the guests were buzzing about its appetizer, nicknamed "Mustang Sliders."
"Somebody was talking about the burgers," said George Liles Jr., one of the owners of the Motor Club. "That's my kind of food."
Petrozza enjoyed the company's pan-seared black sea bass served over white truffle risotto for the entree and the dessert with a dark chocolate truffle torte and chilled strawberry soup.
"I loved the sea bass," Petrozza said. "They picked a good item to cook, and that was the most beautiful dessert."
The other four catering companies chosen for the preferred list were La-Tea-Da's, The Speedway Club, BOUK Management and A Tasteful Solution.
The Speedway Club was another of Petrozza's favorites.
"The crispy, fried spinach on The Speedway Club's entree was phenomenal," Petrozza said. "I loved The Speedway Club's presentation and quality of the food."
Petrozza said of the 36 different food items he tried, there were maybe a handful he did not like.
"I believe that, in my entire career, the group I was with (Wednesday) night, was possibly the most talented people I've ever been with at one time."
Besides Petrozza, Concord Mayor Scott Padgett, chef Jim Noble, of Noble's Restaurants, and co-host of WBT's Charlotte Morning News, Stacey Simms, served as judges.
Robert Krumbine, senior vice president of special events at Charlotte Center City Partners, Amanda Hollingsworth, director of Speedway Children's Charities in Charlotte and retired Carolina Panther Mike Rucker were also judges.
"Anytime I could be a judge with food, that's a win-win situation," Rucker said. "They didn't have to twist my arm too much."
Besides the food, guests and judges raved about the transformation inside the old Pillowtex mill to become the Vintage Motor Club.
"I remember this as an empty building," Rucker said. "Now, to see there's life and color, that's what it's all about."
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