Vancouver, Montreal and Winnipeg top the podium in Ottawa at the 2020 Canadian Culinary Championships
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Off to snowy Ottawa where they were having a bit of a thaw, the canal closed to skating when we arrived on Thursday. By Sunday the sky was blue, the air was crisp and skaters thronged the canal for the start of Winterlude. We’ll miss Kelowna and being in the heart of food and wine country, but Ottawa is a fitting location for a national competition that keeps on getting better. Ottawa has its charms after all. The Mystery Wine Challenge was held at the spectacular Aviation Museum, the Algonquin College kitchens had tons of room for the Black Box competition and the finale was in the stunning Shaw Conference Centre, with a view of the Peace Tower. Well done nation’s capital!
We judges were impressed by the clever, inventive and delicious cooking by each team. Disappointed that Edmonton regional winner JP Dublado didn’t podium, yet his dishes didn’t escape notice. He won the People’s Choice Award and a $500 gift certificate.
Congratulations to all the competitors and kudos to the CCC staff and volunteers.
GOLD
Chef Roger Ma, Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, Vancouver
Wine Pairing Grand Finale: 2018 Unicus Grüner Veltliner, Culmina Family Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley
Talented chef Roger Ma reaches another well-earned summit of culinary recognition with his gold at the CCC. Chef trained at the Four Seasons in Whistler and Daniel Boulud in New York before returning to his hometown for the 2014 opening of Boulevard. The outstanding mentorship program at Boulevard (Alex Chen was the CCC 2018 gold and 2016 Bronze medallist) creates an in-demand training ground for so many apprentices. Now, Roger Ma’s top performance is indeed an endorsement for Boulevard and the Vancouver dining scene. Boulevard’s brigade includes so many team contributors, such as JP Potters, wine director and executive GM, sous Jasper Cruickshank and junior sous Daniel Kim.
In the Mystery Wine opener the Vancouver team identified Pinot Noir and created a deliciously shredded braised duck dish with wonderful textures. The black box dish demonstrated consistency and artistry whereas the Grand Finale dish showcased Boulevard’s seafood focus with a modern global influence, with using local west coast products to advantage. The Gruvy white wine paired so well with the vibrant citrus, herbal and mineral tastes. Well done!
Sid Cross, Vancouver senior judge
SILVER
Chef Marc-André Jetté, Hoogan et Beaufort, Montreal, QC
Wine Pairing Grand Finale: Saison Bariquée from a collaboration of two breweries, Isle de Garde and Ma Brasserie, Montreal, QC
Marc-André Jetté loves to work with vegetables. During the Finale, Marc-André amazed with a unique plate of juicy grilled oyster mushrooms, decorated with lightly-burned marinated onions, thin smoked bread croutons, a touch of matsutake gel, mashed buttered mushrooms, thin strips of Louis d’Or cheese (a raw milk farm cheese with a washed rind from the Fromagerie du Presbytère, winner of numerous awards) and young leaves of sorrel for freshness. But it was during the first two competitions in Ottawa that our chef revealed all his talent: the Mystery Wine inspired a plate of agnolotti stuffed with a mushroom puree, grilled oyster mushrooms and two sauces—a reduction of red beets and a short chicken juice. For the texture: a buckwheat crumble and crispy chicken skin.
This chef loves competition and is not afraid of pressure, two vital requirements for reaching the podium at the CCC. At the black box game, our chef seduced the jury with a nice enhancement of the local elk, cooked sous-vide then seared. Each item in the dish was worth it: kale crisps seasoned with plankton powder, a condiment of marinated fiddleheads, a naked-oat crumble, crisps and mashed parsley roots, and haskap berries in a syrup.
Gildas Menu, Montreal senior judge
BRONZE
Chef Emily Butcher, deer + almond, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Wine Pairing Grand Finale: 2018 Tightrope Pinot Gris VQA, Naramata Bench, British Columbia
Chef Emily Butcher has put Winnipeg back on the culinary map with her bronze medal win at the 2020 Canadian Culinary Championships. A trained ballerina with a bachelor’s in music from UBC, chef Emily spun onto the podium with dishes that showed flavour
complexity and technical skill over three levels of competition.
For the Grand Finale dish, it’s fair to say that chef did not play it safe by taking on a vegetable that she described as the versatile and under-rated, turnip. She delicately poached a baby Tokyo beet variety, stuffed it with Manitoba white roe and served it with torched sable fish, Chinese sausage and turnip cake morsels in a heavenly turnip broth. The wine pairing was magic on the palate.
Chef has a harmonious approach to the kitchen in honour of grass roots days of cooking with her grandmother as a young child. She graduated the culinary program at VCC and quickly moved up the ranks at Joey Vancouver. Seeking more knowledge of fine dining, she trained as a poussionnier under chef Quang Dang. You will find her at deer + almond always with a welcoming smile. The cuisine is worth the trip and reservations are recommended. Congratulations chef!
Barbara O’Hara, Winnipeg senior judge
