Battle for the best; shrimp and grits throwdown set
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on June 20, 2018 5:50 AM
What began as a simple matter of taste turned into an all out throwdown recently.
A shrimp and grits cookout was held downtown at the old drugstore building on Center Street to see who had the better dish, Chef Carl Judah with Wayne UNC Health Care or Pete Kascsak with Village Steakhouse and Pub.
It all began at the 2017 United Way Taste of Wayne.
"Pete and I were both at the Taste of Wayne," Judah said. "My wife went over and tasted Chef Pete's shrimp and grits and came back and told me that was the best shrimp and grits she had ever tasted.
"Me and Pete are buddies, so I stopped cooking and went over there and said his grits were good, but not the best I had ever had. I said, 'My shrimp and grits are better than yours.'"
Judah, who has been the chef at the hospital for a little more than two years, said he and Steve Parr, United Way director, got to talking and Judah said he would battle Kascsak in a shrimp and grits cookoff.
"The two (Judah and Kascsak) were bantering back and forth about, 'Oh mine's better, no mine's better,'" said United Way community engagement director Patty Graham. "It became pretty obvious that it would add to the Taste event. But first we had to work out the bugs."
The throwdown was on.
It took a while for both chefs to get together for the cookout because of their schedules, but it finally took place earlier this month.
Judges declared Judah the best shrimp and grits maker, but there were only five points between the two chefs. Judges were Chef John Oliver and Pamela Evans, owners of Funky Fresh food truck; Chef Carlos Herrera, owner of Los Fogonas; Chef Scot Elden, owner of The Market of Kinston; and Anna Michelle Estrada, Cooperative Extension Service family and consumer science agent and host of WGTV's cooking show.
"I felt ecstatic when I won," Judah said. "But it was really a team effort. Drew Best, a cook at the hospital, made the grits, and Courtney Tatum prepared my shrimp for me. I made the red sauce. Without their help, I wouldn't have won. It was because of the creamy grits that Drew made up."
There may have been a little disappointment for Kascsak, but he held no grudge.
"He congratulated me, and we hugged each other," Judah said. "I told him he should have won because I liked his style."
Judah's recipe was simple. It included the creamy grits, shrimp, peppers, onions, sausage, bacon, fresh tomatoes, Cajun spice and chives.
The second round of the shrimp and grits throwdown will take place Oct. 13 in front of Goldsboro City Hall, at 214 N. Center St., at the annual Taste of Wayne. Graham said Judah will defend his title against three new challengers.