The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the state’s food, agriculture and culinary talent, will host a local series in Durham with three interactive battles April 18, 19 and 21. It will pit four highly competitive chef teams against each other for the three dinner events, which will be held at Bay 7 in the American Tobacco Campus. Tickets are available now at www.competitiondining.com/events/durham and are expected to sell out quickly.

Every Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series dinner event includes two chef teams battling it out, each preparing three courses centered on a featured North Carolina ingredient that is revealed only an hour before they start cooking that day. Ticketed guests get in on the action, savoring a full-service, six-course meal without knowing which chef prepared which plate. Unlike any other cooking competition, attendees vote on each dish using a free app, and ultimately help determine who moves on to the next round and who goes home. New to the competition this year, the creation of All-Star Dream Teams allows chefs from different restaurants to partner together for the three-person teams, upping the potential caliber and creating a more fun and competitive atmosphere for all.

The Durham bracket includes:

• April 18 Dinner

o Team Captain-Kocina from Chapel Hill: Carolina Escobar, Captain Ponchos Grill owner and chef; JP Murcia, Kocina Food Truck owner and chef; and Matthijs Gerritsen, Captain Ponchos Grill sous chef.

o Team Curt's Cucina from Southern Pines: Curt Shelvey, Curt's Cucina owner and chef; Ryan Laton, Curt’s sous chef and Fayetteville Tech adjunct culinary professor; and Matthew Hannon, chef at Ironwood Restaurant in Pinehurst.

• April 19 Dinner

o Team Egg Heads from Durham: Scott Schabot, Keith Calise and Tad Balio, Another Broken Egg Café chefs.

o Team Garnish Nation from Warrenton: Robinson Ferry Restaurant’s Michael Ring, general manager; A.J. Garrelts, chef de cuisine; and David Rose, sous chef.

• April 21 Dinner

o April 18 winning team versus April 19 winning team

“Durham is such an amazing food town and was one of our top choices for new locations to host the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series battles during our 2016 season,” said Jimmy Crippen, Competition Dining Series founder and host. “The dinners are going to feature amazing chefs, prime North Carolina foods and creative, delicious dishes. We can’t wait to see what these teams come up with – it’s sure to be fun for everyone involved. And, foodies only have three dinner events in Durham to catch these chefs in action, so get your tickets now before it’s too late!”

During 2016, the Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series is hosting local tournaments in Durham, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington. The six winners each receive a grand prize of $2,000, a handmade chef knife by Ironman Forge and the coveted “Red Chef Jacket” provided by ALSCO. Additionally, all six move on to compete in the battle of champions at the end of the year.

All Durham events are held at Bay 7 in the American Tobacco Campus located at 318 Blackwell Street. Tickets for the April 18 and 19 battles are $59 each, and tickets for the local finale battle, April 21, are $69 each. Reservations are open now at www.competitiondining.com/events/durham.