Last night a sold out crowd at the Victoria Conference Centre dined on dishes prepared by some of the top chefs in British Columbia. The occasion was the Gold Medal Plates gala evening and chef competition. Gold Medal Plates takes place in various cities around the country. The winning chef from each competition then goes on to the Finale – The Canadian Culinary Championship – on February 6th and 7th in Kelowna where the top chef will be chosen. Net proceeds from Gold Medal Plates are given to the Canadian Olympic Foundation to support high performance programs such as Own the Podium. To date over $8.2 million has been raised.
Sequestered outside of the main hall in the Sidney room a panel of judges (James Chatto, Andrew Morrison, Shelora Sheldan, Sinclair Philips, Brian Skinner of the Acorn Restaurant – last year’s winner – and myself) scored the dishes.
Each chef presented their plate to the judges and explained how it was prepared. Then, the dish was scored on the basis of visual, texture, taste, technique, the wine pairing, originality and its overall wow factor. The level of cooking was outstanding and all the competing chefs should be proud of their work.
After all the dishes had been scored the winners were announced. Below are the dishes.
GOLD: Kristian Eligh, Hawksworth Restaurant (Vancouver)
Paired Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards 2012 Tribute Series Chardonnay ‘Kelly Hrudey’ Old Main Road Vineyard, Naramata
SILVER: Wesley Young, Wildebeest (Vancouver)
Paired Wine: Cedar Creek 2011 Platinum ‘Block 2′ Pinot Noir , Kelowna
BRONZE: Terry Pichor, Sonora Resort (Sonora Island)
Paired Wine: Kanazawa Winery 2012 Nomu, Naramata
RUNNERS UP:
Stephan Drolet, Camilles Restaurant (Victoria)
Morgan Wilson, Fairmont Empress (Victoria)
Jeff Van Geest, Miradoro Restaurant (Oliver)
Jeff Keenliside, The Marina Restaurant (Victoria)
Garrett Schack, Vista 18 (Victoria)
Chris Remington, Penticton Lakeside Resort (Penticton)
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