SC chef wins Best of the Fest at Atlanta Food&Wine Festival

As the Atlanta Food & Wine festival wrapped up this past weekend, one South Carolina chef is walking away the winner of the PNC Best of the Fest competition.

Adam Kirby, executive chef and owner of Bistro 217 and Rustic Table in Pawley’s Island, was selected by festival goers as having their favorite overall dish in the Tasting Tents.

Kirby, a 2017 SC Chef Ambassador, presented his take on the Lowcountry classic shrimp and grits with ingredients sourced from around the state. The dish included Carolina Bulls Bay jumbo white shrimp served over iron skillet cream corn made from Lee’s Market silver queen corn grown in Aynor, tomatoes and okra from Inlet Culinary Garden in Murrells Inlet, and Adluh grits from Columbia.

“The flavors of a dish are a reflection of our emotions, and the Pawleys Island shrimp and grits were filled with lots of love,” said Kirby. “I’m so pleased that Atlanta Food & Wine Festival attendees enjoyed the dish and that I was able to share a little bit of South Carolina with them.”

In addition to winning the 2017 Best of the Fest title, Kirby will also receive a set of hand-crafted Middleton Made Knives courtesy of PNC Bank. Bistro 217 follows 2016 winner Hattie B’s of Nashville as Best of the Fest.

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 5:13 PM with the headline "SC chef wins Best of the Fest at Atlanta Food&Wine Festival."