Visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Friday, Sept. 16 from noon to 1pm, for an Iron Chef-style cook-off with a twist featuring local chefs Carlos Pacheco from Mr. Puebla Tacos and Alaksha Surti from Curry in a Hurry. The adventurous chefs will be charged with creating an appetizer, entrée and dessert incorporating ingredients ranging from crickets to superworms (darkling beetle larvae).
This year’s brave taste-testers will be Spectrum News meteorologist Tom Meiners, WRAL anchor/reporter Chris Lovingood, CBS17 meteorologist Rachel Duensing, and BASF R&D Director Nigel Armes. They will judge the buggy fare based on taste, presentation and creativity.
You can watch the competition in person on the first floor of the Nature Exploration Center (11 W Jones St. entrance). The program will also stream live online on YouTube and Facebook.
About Our Chef Competitors
Carlos Pacheco, Mr. Puebla Tacos
The art found on the side of Mr. Puebla Tacos truck is a nod to its rich Mexican roots. Puebla native Carlos Pacheco founded the truck after spending decades working in the food industry in the United States. His goal was to bring the street food he enjoyed growing up to the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area. With the opening of Mr. Puebla, he more than achieved that goal. Mr. Puebla Tacos serves a variety of Mexican foods using authentic, freshly-made ingredients, including a homemade salsa much beloved by customers.
Alaksha Surti, Curry in a Hurry
The Curry in a Hurry food truck brings authentic Indian curry dishes to Wake County and the Triangle. Alaksha Surti started grew from a small catering company to a food truck and then to a brick-and-mortar location at Morgan Street Food Hall. Her food is authentic Indian cuisine using the freshest local ingredients, Halal meats, and exotic whole spices roasted and ground without using any pastes, added colors or shortcuts. Her food will entice your taste buds with worldly flavors and is sure to expand your culinary horizons. Chef Surti has appeared on The Cooking Channel and the Food Network. Recently, James Beard Award Winner Celebrity Chef Pati Jinich approached Alaksha and cooked with her inside Morgan Street Food Hall for her mini-series “Thriving Through Food.”
