The Canadian Culinary Championship is a celebration of Canadian culinary excellence, and it’s all happening in Ottawa at the end of this month!
Ten of Canada’s finest chefs – winners of competitions held nationwide in cities stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic – will gather in the nation’s capital to test themselves against their peers and push their limits. Today, we’re taking a look at the three competitions that will determine this year’s Canadian Culinary Champion.
Competition #1: Mystery Wine
The championship kicks off on Friday, January 31st with the Mystery Wine competition. Chefs are given a mystery bottle of wine and are challenged to create a dish with local ingredients that best complement the mysterious vintage. They have a limited time window and are given a minimal set budget.
Guests will have the pleasure of sampling these creations on the opening night of the competition, in a stand-up cocktail reception format. The event will also feature a selection of wines, local craft beer, cocktails and artisanal food products for guests to enjoy.
Competition #2: Black Box
The next day, chefs head to La Cité Collégiale bright and early for the Black Box competition! On Saturday, February 1st, chefs will all receive the same mysterious box containing a small array of diverse foods. They must produce and plate two spectacular dishes for the national judges – all in one short hour. Whew! You can’t get much closer to watching an Iron Chef-type competition than this!
Meanwhile, La Cité culinary students will create a fantastic spread of food during the competition for guests to enjoy. There will also be a mini-market featuring local products, so guests can discover new local makers and artisans.
Competition #3: The Grand Finale
The final competition takes place on Saturday, February 1st in the evening. At the grand Finale, anything goes – chefs plate a dish that they have been working on for months for guests and judges alike!
In addition, guests will enjoy a selection of fantastic wines, cocktails, craft beer and some tasty local delights while bidding on some amazing silent auction items. During the event, guests will taste the mystery wine and play judge as they vote on the People’s Choice Award for the best food and wine pairing.
By evening’s end, that year’s Canada’s Culinary Champion is crowned, the Winery of the Year is announced and a victory celebration will be staged including performances by Johnny Reid (multi-platinum selling artist, Juno Award-winning artist, producer and playwright) along with keyboardist Michael Shand.
If these high-octane food competitions sound like fun, we agree! The best part is that individual tickets to each event are still available, so you can catch the action on January 31st and February 1st:
