VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — J&K Style Grill in Virginia Beach is holding parking lot cook-off battles in their parking lot the entire month of June.
The owners say summer is almost here, and it's a perfect time to showcase all the local chefs Hampton Roads has to offer. Last week we featured parking lot battle No. 1--the battle of the gourmet hot dogs.
Week two is the battle of gourmet sandwiches. Chef Ralph Anderson from Clayton's Counter Delicatessen in Virginia Beach is taking on Chef Carlton Peterson, a personal chef in Hampton Roads.
This parking lot battle is judged on three things, trash talk, presentation, and taste.
The trash talk seemed to be the easiest part for these two chefs, "We're different over here, that's all to it. We're different over here," Chef Peterson said.
Chef Anderson came ready to win, preparing a steaming pot of pastrami for his classic pastrami sandwich that you can buy at his deli.
"This is what makes the wheels turn at Clayton's counter. It's our house-made pastrami," he said.
Chef Peterson came with two sandwiches at the ready. His first sandwich was dubbed the "Italian Smash," inside the sandwich, you'll find smashed Italian meatballs, Havarti cheese, capicola, fresh basil, and a cup of tomato sauce on the side.
"And that's just sandwich number one, sandwich number two I'm doing a fried salmon with a crab Picco on top," Chef Peterson boasted.
The judges dug in, and there were some rave reviews for both. However, though the race was tight, Chef Peterson came out on top with his Italian Smash at the end of the day.
You can find Chef Anderson and his pastrami sandwich at Clayton's Counter Delicatessan in Virginia Beach at 1337 Oceana Blvd #130, Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
In addition, you can contact Chef Peterson through his catering company, Fruits of our Labor or F.O.O.L., or find him online at http://foolcatering.com/.