If you know me, you know I love eating local and one of my favorite local North Carolina products is Carolina Gold Rice from Tidewater Grain Company in Oriental NC. Today, we’re cooking with Tidewater’s GMO Free and Gluten Free Brown Rice – delicious and nutritious! This is an old shot but one I love. It was taken the first time ever went to visit the farm at Tidewater Grain Company in Oriental NC, 3-4 years ago, just a month or so before harvest. Tidewater grows a classic brown Carolina Gold Rice and a long grain version called Santee Gold. White Rice or Brown Rice – Did You Know it’s all th ..read more

Now, in its eighth electrifying season, this prestigious culinary and cocktail competition, the 2024 NCRLA Chef Showdown is the only statewide contest in which the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association names the NCRLA Chef of the Year, NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year, and NCRLA Mixologist and Distillery of the Year. Plus, new this year, a separate award for the 2024 NCRLA Best Mocktail of the Year. Heidi Billotto and the NCRLA Chef Showdown Once again, I am proud to be a part of this incredible statewide event. No, I’m not competing. Instead, this is an event I host and produce. I ..read more

I am proud and pleased to once again be working with my good friends at the NCRLA to produce and host the annual NCRLA Chef Showdown. This annual culinary and mixology competition is the largest of its kind in North Carolina. With preliminary and regional rounds of competition across the state, contestants each present to a panel of judges in private sessions from March to the end of July, all leading up to the open-to-the-public Grand Finale at the end of August. Our first preliminary round of competition is on March 25. Before the chefs do their thing, though, we kick things off with a judge ..read more

If your sweetie has a sweet tooth and loves chocolate, then today’s recipe is the one that will steal their heart and seal the deal. This recipe for chocolate mousse is super simple. In fact, it’s one I enjoy making with my 4 year old niece Emory. Emory loves to cook. In addition to the chocolate mousse, we make lots of other things including a fun ravioli we made together for a recipe I wrote for Charlotte Parent magazine. It’s the first in a monthly series I am doing for the longtime online publication. Each month I post a “Cooking with Kids” recipe that adults will love, too. You can read ..read more

It seems to me anytime you can source local products from area farmers and producers you are always lucky. But the New Year’s holiday comes with its own set of what to eat standards. Among the lucky foods to kick off the new year, the traditional recipe of Hoppin’ John. A simple but delicious mix of rice and peas. Lucky for us all, everything you need for this recipe is grown in North Carolina. Chef Andres Prussing, Executive Chef at Stoke restaurant in Uptown Charlotte and recently named the Food and Beverage Director of the Marriott Center City in Uptown Charlotte, shared this recipe with m ..read more

Last December I shared a post for easy cheesey holiday hors d’oeuvres, all made with cream cheese. This month, I shared a recipes for a fun and delicious homemade boursin and a half dozen plus cool ways to cook with real butter. But, as it is the time of year, when holiday entertaining is at the forefront, I thought it would be timely to repeat this post with some great ideas for easy holiday hors d’oeuvres plus don’t miss my super simple tiramisu dessert shots at the end of the post. I first showcased these easy Holiday hors d’oeuvre recipes on Fox 8 in High Point, NC December 2022. The video ..read more

They say everything is better with butter. Whoever they are, I think they’re right. Nothing blends, browns or adds quite the same rich mouth feel . The next time you look for something that will add a buttery flavor to whatever you are cooking, just go for the real deal. Butter is a natural dairy product made from heavy cream. It starts with fresh, whole milk. The cream is separated from the milk and pasteurized before being churned into the golden goodness that gives all our food that extra something special. So when you buy the real thing, you are supporting the dairy industry in our countr ..read more

Entertaining this holiday season? Put away your charcuterie boards for a bit, and take a dive into the wonderful world of holiday dips and spreads. Homemade Boursin Cheese, made primarily of cream cheese and butter, is a great place to start. And, here’s the delicious bonus, if you love shopping local like I do, you’ll delight in the fact that this recipe is made with all locally produced North Carolina products. Don’t live in North Carolina? No worries, many of the ingredients called for in this recipe can be ordered online. Here Your shopping list follows with links on where to buy. 1Eatz ..read more

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe You’ve got to love a holiday that runs for 8 days. Traditional celebrations of any kind stir thoughts of food and family memories. For me, the two are incredibly intertwined. Which brings us to potato latkes. Why Latkes for Hanukkah? Some say it has to do with the oil. History tells us that the just a bit of oil used to light the temple burned for eight nights. Others say, its the golden color of the fried potatoes that commemorate the light of the burning oil. I’m not sure that I ever learned a definitive answer. For me, it’s the memory of this family tradit ..read more

Let’s start with an invitation. Make plans now to pack up family and friends and set out on a food-centric road trip for the day of December 2, 2023. It’s The Great Garner Chicken Bog presented by my friends at Agri Supply and Carolina Cooker. The event will take place in the parking lot at the Agri Supply store in Garner NC. This is the flagship store for the farm and supply/hardware store, headquartered in Garner since 1962. It’s all happening rain or shine, from 10 am till 2 pm , or as long as the chicken bog (and the local oysters they are steaming for the occasion) last. Be there. It ..read more