Canadian Culinary Championships Impact Local Organizations as Chefs set to arrive in Kelowna

The Canadian Culinary Championships announced today that Rutland Middle School in Kelowna and Mount Paul Community Food Centre in Kamloops are this years’ regional recipients of some of the funds raised at the annual national culinary competition.

“On behalf of Rutland Middle School we want to say Thank You for the instruments! This means we get a jazz band, and a marching band, and we get to fix our broken guitars.” Students, Rutland Middle School, Kelowna.

“The grants are awarded in schools through MusiCounts BandAid program and we are happy to announce that Rutland Middle School has been chosen,” comments Lisa Pasin, Co-Founder of the Canadian Culinary Championships. “In addition, a grant is being provided to Mount Paul Community Food Centre for the Kitchen Mentor program, which is a unique national food security program which provides youth the opportunity to learn how to grow, cook and share good food.”

The 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships (CCC) presented by Deloitte. is taking place this weekend in Kelowna, BC February 1-2, 2019. The eleven competing chefs will compete for gold as they participate in three gruelling events over two days testing their skills, creativity and endurance.

Each of the eleven chefs competed in their home city/province at a regional Kitchen Party event. The Gold winning chefs are now arriving in Kelowna, the home of the Canadian Culinary Championships.

On Thursday, the chefs will be welcomed at the CCC’s opening reception where they will each receive a bottle of the mystery wine. Each chef must then create a dish with local ingredients that compliments the wine. They will spend Friday morning shopping for the ingredients for their dish which they will serve to the 350 guests attending the event that evening. In addition to the challenge of having to ‘guess’ what wine they are pairing their dish with, they are also only given a small budget of $500 to purchase all of their ingredients and they must shop for their ingredients on Friday using taxis as their transportation.

Competition II is the Black Box competition where everyone is locked into a room until it is their turn to compete. Chefs are called one at a time and are presented with a box of seven ingredients sourced from across Canada. Each chef has 10 minutes to determine what dish they will create using the seven ingredients and a communal pantry. Then they have 50 minutes to prepare their dish to present to the judges.

The final competition is the Grand Finale where chefs will create their ultimate dish paired with their Canadian beverage. “The chefs will fly in with coolers filled with as much prepped food as they can manage for the 550 guests who will be in attendance on Saturday night.” explains Chair Judy Burns, “With less than five hours between the black box and the grand finale competitions it is a competition of stamina and intelligent preparation to try to take home the gold!” The finale closes with the announcement of the top three medal winners being called to the podium.

There are limited tickets available for Friday’s Mystery Wine Pairing and Saturday’s Grand Finale events. Tickets can be purchased online at http://greatkitchenparty.com/ca/culinary-championships/

James Chatto, Canadian Culinary Championships National Culinary Advisor and Head Judge will lead a judging panel consisting of judges from across the country.

The competitors are from:

British Columbia
Takashi Ito – AURA waterfront restaurant + patio, Victoria

Edmonton
Davina Moraiko – RGE RD

Calgary
Dave Bohati – Murrieta’s

Saskatchewan
Christopher Hill – Taste Restaurant Group

Winnipeg
Jesse S. Friesen – The Merchant Kitchen

Toronto
Elia Herrera – Colibri

Ottawa/Gatineau
Yannick LaSalle – Restaurant Les Fougères, Chelsea, QC

Montreal
Jason Morris – Pastel

New Brunswick and PEI
Irwin MacKinnon – Papa Joe’s, Charlottetown, PEI

Nova Scotia
Thomas Carey – Fresh Twenty One, Dartmouth

Newfoundland and Labrador
Katie Hayes – Bonavista Social Club, Bonavista Peninsula

Canadian Culinary Championships – The Canadian Culinary Championships is the national finale of the Canada’s Great Kitchen Party regional events which are held annually in the fall.  The regional events have been created to elevate and celebrate sport, Canadian culture and community. The purpose: providing young Canadians the opportunity to be extraordinary in food, sport and music.  Musical instruments are purchased for schools, enabling students to discover the magic of music. Kids learn from leading Canadian chefs how to grow, cook and share healthy food.  Elite amateur athletes are supported in their quest to be the best in the world.  Canada’s Great Kitchen Party and the Canadian Culinary Championships support B2ten(sport), MusiCounts(music) and Community Food Centres Canada(food).

In each of the eleven cities, 8 – 10 chefs compete with a dish of their choice paired with a Canadian wine, beer or spirit.  To be invited to compete locally is a notch in the belt. To get on the podium is very difficult.  To win gold is a major achievement! To be crowned the top chef in Canada at the Canadian Culinary Championships is a career changer! www.greatkitchenparty.com/ca/culinary-championships/

The Sport Beneficiary: Canada’s Great Kitchen Party will support Canadian athletes through the purpose and legacy of B2ten. B2ten exists to have significant impact on sport in Canada. B2ten contributes to amateur sport and the greater good of society by providing optimal training and preparation services to elite amateur athletes; investing in the development of Canada’s coaches and professional service providers; and developing a legacy of enhanced sport, play and well-being.

The Music Beneficiary: With the support of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, MusiCounts is providing musical instruments for children in 20 schools every year through the MusiCounts Band Aid Program. MusiCounts is keeping music alive in schools and communities across Canada by putting musical instruments into the hands of children that need them most. MusiCounts is Canada’s music education charity, affiliated with the JUNO Awards and supported by many of Canada’s top musicians. The instruments they supply last over 15 years and well over 800,000 children have known the joy of music as a result of their programs.

The Food Beneficiary: Canada’s Great Kitchen Party will support Canadian children to gain the skills and confidence they need to become the next generation of food leaders through unforgettable mentorship sessions with talented Canadian chefs. Community Food Centres Canada and their affiliate food organizations offer high-impact food programs that bring people together to grow, cook, share, and advocate for good food for all.

Media release and logo provided by Christina Ferreira, Canadian Culinary Championship/Impact Events.</em