StrEATs Neighborhood Cook-Off

*Chef Awo Amenumey. Photo credit: Ryan Allen*

Congratulations to our 2024 StrEATs Neighborhood Cook-off Champion Chef Awo Amenumey!

Congratulations to our 2024 Neighborhood Cook-off winner Chef Awo Amenumey of Eh’vivi! Her dish of Carolina-style Barbecue Suya Goat with Plantain Flatbread and Pickled Onions represented her neighborhood of Concord during Sunday’s StrEATs Festival, part of Charlotte SHOUT!

For the final round, Awo Amenumey and Anthony Denning of Another Food Truck created their same dishes from the preliminary rounds, but with a slight twist. A surprise secret ingredient was added by our sponsor Sysco – black garlic. Denning added the secret ingredient to his breading and basil ranch dressing, while Amenumey used black garlic in her plantain flatbread and barbecue sauce.

Special guest Aarón Sánchez emceed, adding insights from his vast cooking competition experience. Final round judges were former White House chef Roberto Mendoza, Kris Reid, executive director of Piedmont Culinary Guild, and Unpretentious Palate editor Kristen Wile

Read the full recap from Unpretentious Palate here.

Meet the Final Four!

In its third year, StrEATs once again chooses eight local chefs to represent their neighborhoods and go head-to-head in a cook-off to win the title of the StrEATs Neighborhood Champion.

Each competitor was tasked to create a dish that best represents their neighborhood. Our preliminary rounds were held virtually where we narrowed down to the final four.

The final four cooked their dish live at the Charlotte StrEATs Festival on Sunday, April 14th. A panel of judges named two chefs who went on to the finale which was emceed by award-winning chef and TV personality Aarón Sánchez.