2014 Commemoratiave Poster Artist

Guests were invited to sample and vote for the NC Seafood Festival Wine Winner and took part in the unveiling of the 2013 NC Seafood Festival poster, “Cooking with the Chefs”, painted by Jim Storholt.

After living in Greensboro for many years, Jim, his wife, Kathe, and son, Walter, moved to the Crystal Coast seven years ago to enjoy the beach and the beauty of this area. Jim received his degree in commercial art and advertising but he has always had a passion to paint and the coastal environment is his favorite subject. Almost all of his work is in private collections but newer pieces are always on display at local galleries or on his website.

“This year’s poster shows the connection between chefs and the commercial fishermen of Eastern North Carolina” explains Bob Sherwell, the 2013 Chair of the Board of Directors. “It reminds us how connected we are to the fishing heritage of our seacoast and those who are still employed in the industry.”

Storholt has received numerous awards in shows across eastern North Carolina among being named the only N.C. Seafood Festival Official Poster artist to carry the title three years.

Visitors interested in viewing the Official Poster for the Festival can find the original copy across the county in local businesses until the beginning of October at which time it will be gifted to the Town of Morehead City. The Painting Exhibit Schedule is as follows:

April 22-May 20 – PNC Bank, Morehead City
May 20-June 24—The History Place, Morehead City
June 24—August 15—Crystal Coast Visitors Center, Morehead City
August 15-September 4— Sound Bank, Morehead City
September 4-October 1—Bogue Banks Library, Pine Knoll Shores
October 4—Retired to the Town of Morehead City

The North Carolina Seafood Festival is a not-for-profit organization of Carteret county citizens and business people, in conjunction with the town of Morehead City, N.C. Recognizing the importance of seafood to eastern North Carolina, Seafood Festival, Inc., organized to develop and conduct a festival every year, the first weekend in October, to:

• Promote the positive social and economic impact of the seafood industry on the citizens of North Carolina;
• Provide the opportunity for North Carolina non-profit, civic, church and educational organizations to raise funds through participation in the Festival;
• Educate the public about seafood and its importance to the state economy;
• Publicize the wide variety of seafood indigenous to North Carolina and provide the opportunity for people to enjoy it;
• Promote tourism and recreation in eastern North Carolina in the non-summer months; and
• Establish a scholarship program for educational pursuits related to the seafood industry;

Festival proceeds are shared with community organizations who donate their efforts to the event. Since 1987, over $1.8 million has been dispersed among participating Carteret County non-profit groups.

Photos taken by Sally Lumpkin of the 2013 NC Seafood Festival poster, “Cooking with the Chefs”, with artist Jim Storholt.

“We would like to sincerely thank all that helped to make this event such a huge success! It is a win /win for students pursuing scholarships and all the participating businesses” stated Jen Beasley co-chair of the event along with Norma Wagaman. “We received so many compliments while people were walking up and down the streets enjoying themselves, and they are still talking about it today, it was a perfect evening for all” said Norma Wagaman.

“Biters” walked the waterfront visiting 13 locations to receive 1-3 “bites” at each establishment. At the end of the evening they were asked to vote on their ticket for the Best “Bite of the Nite” which was awarded to Soundside Restaurant of Morehead City for their Filet Napoleon, A seared beef tenderloin medallion with Blue Cheese, Apple wood bacon, tomatoes and balsamic glaze. Co-Owners Lee Taylor and Gus Headington were elated at the news and were thrilled to be a part of the event and created an extensive menu for the week to participate in the Toast to the Coast.

The North Carolina Seafood Festival created this event to cover the several scholarships they award in May. Funds are distributed to the Brad Sneeden Science Academy for Middle School Students, Carteret Community College and to local High School Students. “We found that there were an increasing number of Golf Tournaments in the area and we felt it was important to create something new that would allow us to raise our funds without competing with other tournaments” said Bob Sherwell NC Seafood Festival 2014 chairman. “It is one of our mission statements to provide scholarships and we try to remain grounded in our original goals that were set forth 27 years ago by the original board members”.

The North Carolina Seafood Festival is a not for profit entity in Carteret County. The Festival occurs the first weekend in October every year on the waterfront. Visit www.ncseafoodfestival.org for more information and www.toasttothecoast.org for more information on the Bi –Annual Restaurant Week in Carteret County.

Photos by Morganne McIntyre
SoundSide Restaurant Winners of the “Best Bite of the Nite” and Co Chairs of Bites & Blues stop for a moment after a fun evening of Jazz music and tapas supplied by 17 area restaurants.

Kris Dykeman Sous Chef, Lee Taylor Co-Owner, Jen Beasley Co-Chair of Bites & Blues, Gus Headington, Co-Owner & Chef Bob Sherwell NCSF Chairman Patrick Hogan Guest Chef and Norma Wagaman Co-Chair of Bites & Blues

The North Carolina Seafood Festival is seeking photographs to be considered for placement on the 27th Annual NC Seafood Festival’s Annual Storefront Poster. Photographs that will be considered must be taken in Coastal Carolina and may reflect the working seafood industry, coastal wildlife and their habitat, coastal scenery, and of course, photographs taken from a previous NC Seafood Festival.

To enter this contest, you will need to submit a straight print, 4×5, 4×6, 5×7, or 8×10 in size taken from a 35 mm film based negative or digital cameras with images four (4) Mega Pixels or larger. No mounting or matting will be allowed. The winner will be asked to submit a copy of the winning photo on disk for purposes of reproduction.

A maximum of four (4) photographs may be submitted. There is no entry fee for this contest. Please include your name, phone number, address, and email on the back of each entry. If you would like the photos to be returned, a self addressed, stamped envelope must be included.

All entries must be received by June 3, 2013 at 4:00 pm.  Members of the NC Seafood Festival Board of Directors will judge the entries.

The winner will receive $125.00 in cash prize. The winning photograph will become the property of the North Carolina Seafood Festival. The North Carolina Seafood Festival reserves the rights to use the photograph at will in future marketing of the Festival.

Questions concerning the Storefront Poster Contest should be directed to 252-726-6273 or fun@ncseafoodfestival.org.

Entries should be delivered to:

NC Seafood Festival
412-D Evans Street
Morehead City, NC 28557

Morehead City, NC

Bites and Blues will be on Saturday, March 2^nd from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. as a kickoff event for the Toast to the Coast week. “Biters” will be able to walk the scenic downtown of Morehead City to each restaurant sampling appetizers from the 17 participating restaurants. While attendees venture down the waterfront, they will also be entertained by various jazz ensembles along the way.

Tickets for Bites and Blues are available at the participating restaurants and at the North Carolina Seafood Festival office for $25 per person. Tickets will also be available the night of the event. Proceeds will be used for funding county-wide scholarships given by the North Carolina Seafood Festival.

Toast to the Coast is a weeklong event featuring some of the finest seafood and chefs along the Crystal Coast. No ticket is necessary.  Just show up to your chosen eating establishment and select from the Toast to the Coast price fixed menu for $25 per person. Toast to the Coast will take place March 3-9, 2013.

Additionally, diners can experience a culinary tour with food blogger and Culinary Cuisine Tour Diva, Liz Biro, that promises culinary adventure with a story behind each stop. Only a few tickets will be sold for each tour, so visit www.ToastToTheCoast.org today before they disappear.

While dining out, let your little ones have an evening of fun and learning at the Webb Library in downtown Morehead City.  Childcare is provided on Friday March 8^th, for a small fee of $5 per hour where the fun will last from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Preregistration is required. Call the North Carolina Seafood Festival office for details.

Toast to the Coast is an event of the North Carolina Seafood Festival. Started in 2012, this semi-annual event strives to further the mission of the festival by promoting the North Carolina commercial fishing industry and the Crystal Coast as a culinary destination.

The North Carolina Seafood Festival won five awards from the North Carolina Association of Festivals & Events at their annual ShowFest in Charlotte, NC. The awards include Best T-shirt, Best Print Media, Best Sponsorship Package, Best Event Poster by Mitchell Morton and the Green Award.

The festival worked in conjunction with Bellagurl, Inc., a marketing, publishing and advertising firm located in Morehead City, NC, to create the Best Print Media and the Best Sponsorship Package. The judges commented on the materials “were presented in a clean and concise manner without losing the total concept of what was important to the audience”. To find out more about them, please visit www.bellagurl.com.

Pictured from left to right, Stephanie McIntyre, Executive Director of NCSF and Paige Brotzman of Rachel Screen Printing

Rachel Screen Printing was also awarded the title of Best Supporting Member to an Event, nominated by the Seafood Festival. “They go above and beyond in service to us and we wanted to make sure they were recognized for their efforts,” says Stephanie McIntyre, Executive Director of the NC Seafood Festival.

“The board is always working to improve and refresh the Seafood Festival to appeal to our audience and keep the integrity of what has been established throughout the years,” says Stephanie McIntyre, Executive Director of the NCSF, “so it’s really rewarding when you get recognized for it amongst your peers.”

The North Carolina Association of Festivals & Events is a year-round assembly for Festival and Event coordinators and vendors of the industry. It helps members to share information, training, support and networking of resources throughout the state of North Carolina. There were over 200 attendees at this year’s ShowFest.

The North Carolina Seafood Festival, now in its 27th year, is a not-for-profit organization in Carteret County with a five point mission statement that encompasses everything from establishing scholarships, education, support and creating tourism in eastern North Carolina.

2013 NC Seafood Festival Wine Competition

October 5-7, 2012 – Once again the North Carolina Seafood Festival presented by U.S. Cellular by passed all expectations set by the volunteer Board of Directors. “This was another one for the books” stated Sammy Brooks, 2012 Chair of the 26th NC Seafood Festival.

This year was marked with record crowds, beautiful weather and incredible experiences. Guests were invited through various media to download our free mobile app provided by Carteret General Hospital, which provided easy access to vendors, free giveaways, performance times and even locations of rest areas. We had numerous giveaways and experiences for guests to enjoy from partners of the Festival such as U.S. Cellular presenting sponsor, PNC Bank and Turkey Hill Dairy and Shorty’s Breading Company and the N.C Department of Agriculture, Seafood Division. There was even a $10,000 NC Education Lottery winner who purchased his winning ticket at the festival!

A new restaurant and Chef now holds the highly regarded “Chefs Hat” in his establishment as the N.C. People’s Choice Award for Shrimp & Grits. You can drop by Ruddy Duck Tavern and meet Fabian Botta, who had to battle his way through a well renowned panel of NC judges, award winning Chefs and finally a panel of 25 festival guests. Festival goers that stepped inside the Cooking with the Chefs Tent were not only treated to a free NC Shrimp cooked in Shorty’s Famous Breading, but also a free sample of Turkey Hill Iced Tea while they could watch Chefs from all over NC perform and cook a variety of fresh N.C. Seafood provided by various NC Seafood Suppliers.

The N.C. State Ports Authority unlocked their doors for an Open House and free tours all say on Saturday as well as provided free parking.

ACM and AMA Award winning GLORIANA sweetly rocked the stage and packed in the crowds on Saturday with their hits of “(Kissed You) Goodnight” and “Can’t Shake This”. Three other stages of over 27 Bands and entertainers continued to offer Class “A” entertainment for free all weekend.

Flounders were flung, a new wine uncorked, boats and vehicles were sold, races were completed, new t shirts were purchased, a SasSea Princess and Prince were crowned and lots of seafood was consumed! That is just a few of the fun experiences during the 26th year of the North Carolina Seafood Festival. If you missed it this year, be sure to mark your calendars now for the First weekend in October, it only gets better from now on!

“Pumpkin Grits”

1 cup course yellow grits
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups small diced pumpkin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar

“Pumpkin grits directions”

1. Heat the water, milk and heavy cream in heavy bottom saucepan until just simmering.

2. Stir grits and pumpkin into simmering water, milk and heavy cream. Cook stirring often, until the grits are tender to the bite and have thickened to the consistency of thick oatmeal and pumpkin pieces are tender.  As the grits thicken, stir them more often to keep from sticking or scorching. Regular grits cook in in 20 minutes. Note: Stone-ground grits cook in about one hour and need additional milk and water.

3 Season the pumpkin grits to taste cover and remove from heat and let rest.

“Shrimp”

1 1/2 lb. Cleaned Shrimp ( peel and devein)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 medium onion (small diced)
1/2 lb. butter
2 jalapeños ( seeded and small diced)
6 mushrooms sliced thin
1 cup Tomato gravy ( any simple tomato gravy recipe will do)
2 Green onions thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

“Sauté shrimp directions”

* Heat large skillet, add butter, garlic, diced onions, mushrooms and jalapeños. Cook medium heat until onions are translucent , add shrimp, salt and pepper
Add half cup of tomato gravy and cook shrimp until pink ,( be sure not to overcook).

“Shrimp and grits presentation”

* Scoop a layer of cooked grits on the plate, sprinkle grated sharp cheddar cheese and add another layer of grits. With large spoon place shrimp and gravy on top of grits and garnish the dish with braised pork green onions and sweet potato chips.

* For the cider braided pork shoulder follow or use your favorite recipe.

* For the sweet potato chips follow recipe or buy good quality all natural sweet potato chips.