CCFCC Bocuse d'Or Canada News

Jun 7 2010

CCFCC Bocuse d'Or Canada News

CLEAN SWEEP FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA’S CHEFS!

Jun 7 2010

At the Canadian Culinary Federation’s National Convention held in Windsor, Ontario this week, British Columbia chefs took first place in every major competition.

A group of student chefs from the Vancouver Culinary Institute at Vancouver Community College coached by Chef Tobias MacDonald of La Belle Auberge Restaurant in Ladner, beat out three other college teams to win the right to become the CCFCC Youth Team Canada. They will now go on to represent the country at the IKA World Culinary Olympics to be held in Germany in the Fall of 2012. Student members of the team are Sophie Fenlon and Johnny Ho with support students, Daniel Davyduke and Kathy Chan.

Meanwhile Chef Clement Chan, Chef de Cuisine of Mosaic Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver took first place in the National Chef Challenge to become the CCFCC Culinarian of the Year.

Steve Kwan, also of the Hyatt Regency won the CCFCC National Junior Challenge to become the CCFCC Junior Chef of the Year.

The final award was presented to Chef John Carlo Felicella, Department Head of the Vancouver Culinary Institute who was selected by his peers from across Canada to take the title of CCFCC Chef of the Year.

Don Gyurkovits, Chairman of the British Columbia Culinary Arts Foundation who attended all of the competitions expressed his pleasure at seeing BC chefs sweep the award ceremony. “We always knew that BC had the best culinary talent in Canada! Now we can really brag about it!” he said.

The Western Conference was held in Victoria at the Empress Hotel

Apr 1 2010

The Western Conference was held in Victoria at the Empress Hotel. We had over 60 Chefs and delegates from our Western CCFCC branches- ( Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia). Ice Breaker was held on Friday Night March 5th, Business meeting all day on Saturday March 6th, Gala Dinner on March 6th evening, and the Goodbye Brunch on Sunday.

The BC Chefs' Association (Vancouver CCFCC Branch) had the honors of winning the following:

Please note that the Winners will be for the Western Region. Then during our conference in Windsor, our Western winners will be up against the Atlantic, Eastern and Central. May 30th to June 4th Sandy Sanderson Award-(Communication Award in the Chefs World): Elaine Morrison Life Time Achievement: Mike Pinter Chef of the Year: John-Carlo Felicella Western Chef of the Year Competition winner: Clement Chan.

Chefs chosen for Culinary Team Canada

Mar 30 2010

Edmonton, Alberta: The six chefs, who will represent Canada at the 2010 Expogast Culinary World
Cup in Luxembourg, met for the first time as Culinary Team Canada on March 13, 2010, in
Edmonton.

“The challenge after tryouts was not just picking the best chefs, but picking the best chefs who
could come together as a team — a winning combination — and earn Canada another world
culinary championship,” says Business Manager Simon Smotkowicz. “Based on our first team
meeting, we’ve got that.”

Healthy Chef Wrap up

Mar 25 2010

Announcing the 2010 Winners of the Healthy Chef Competition Hosted by the BC Produce Marketing Board and the BC Chefs Association

Healthy Chef Competition

Mar 25 2010

TWO CHEFS WIN FIRST PLACE IN 2010 HEALTHY CHEF CONTEST

Recipe Contest Inspires Creative Strawberry Recipe Innovation
and Encourages Healthier Eating

Watsonville, CA (March XX, 2010) – Today the California Strawberry Commission announced the winners of the first ever British Columbia Produce Marketing Association’s Healthy Chef Competition to uncover the most innovative appetizer and dessert recipes incorporating California strawberries. This competition was part of the 11th Annual Healthy Chef Competition held in Vancouver, BC to help increase awareness and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in British Columbia. The strawberry recipe competition, open to executive chefs, sous chefs, cooks and apprentices, turned out dozens of creative and mouth-watering dishes. After reviewing the recipes, the California Strawberry Commission selected winners based on criteria such as flavor, creativity, appearance, consumer appeal – and the way California strawberries are showcased in the dish. Following are the chefs, their associations and their winning recipes:

TREVOR RITCHIE WINS THE WACS HANS BUESCHKENS JUNIOR CHEFS CHALLENGE

Feb 17 2010

SANTIAGO, CHILE: The Canadian Culinary Federation (CCFCC) is proud and delighted to announce that Junior Chef Trevor Ritchie, of Niagara, Ontario, under the guidance of his Executive Chef and mentor James Olberg of Queens Landing Hotel, finished in first place with a gold medal and the Memorial Trophy at the WACS Hans Bueschkens Junior Culinary Challenge, which took place at the WACS Congress in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday January 27, 2010.

Trevor, winner of the 2009 CCFCC National Junior Culinary Challenge at the CCFCC National Conference in Kelowna last May, represented Canada and competed against Junior Chefs from other WACS member countries. This competition was first held in Japan in 1992 and is named after the late renowned Canadian chef Hans Bueschkens, who served two consecutive terms as WACS President from 1980 to 1988, and who played a key role in the creation of programs that would interest junior chefs.

Each Junior Chef had three and a half hours to prepare and present a well- balanced three-course menu for 8 in this “mystery basket” style competition for a panel of international judges including Christophe Luzeux, Executive Chef of the Trade Centre Limited in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I was extremely proud and pleased to be a part of this event and of Trevor’s tremendous accomplishment”, said Luzeux. CCFCC National President Judson Simpson also congratulated Trevor for winning this high level competition and for being such an outstanding role model to other Canadian junior chefs.

Canadian Culinary Federation - Youth Team Canada Selection

Feb 9 2010

To select a Canadian Culinary Institution that will form a Team of Junior chef competitors to
compete in the National Youth Team competitions at the IKA World Culinary Olympics in
Erfurt, Germany in October of 2012.

Pear Excellence

Feb 9 2010

Entries are due by March 31, 2010.
Enter online at www.usapears.org/excellence.aspx

Equivalency Package for Professional Cooks

Jan 15 2010

We have developed a new package for ITA Recognized Equivalency to give those Chefs with a foreign qualification but no Canadian Red Seal an ITA Equivalency number, so they may sign off apprentices without question. I understand this has been an issue in the past and has caused some great frustration with those who have earned their papers in Europe and then been told they have to challenge the Red Seal. We should have it up on the ITA site shortly, but in the meantime if anyone knows chefs in their area who would like this done, have them contact me and I will send them the package. Anyone without papers from somewhere will be required to challenge.

Fall 2009 edition of Follow My Fork Newsletter

Jan 7 2010

Click the PDF link below to view the newsletter

Culinary Team Canada once again based in Alberta

Jan 7 2010

Edmonton...Team tryouts are being held in Edmonton on the weekend of January 8 –10. Two qualifying competitions, at the Shaw Conference Centre and NAIT, will see six chefs from across the country selected to represent Canada at the premier international level.

“Culinary Team Canada was based out of Alberta from 1998 to 2001 and everyone I’ve been in touch with so far is very excited and proud to again be involved with Canada’s national team,” says Simon Smotkowicz, executive chef at the Shaw Conference Centre and returning team manager.

The Alberta Culinary Arts Foundation (ACAF), under Smotkowicz’s direction, has been given the mandate by the Canadian Culinary Federation to manage Culinary Team Canada until the 2012 World Culinary Olympics.

“It’s kind of like figure skating,” Smotkowicz says. “The first competition is a little more fun. Chefs prepare cold dishes, which are for display only. The second one is more technical and involves preparing hot food — six appetizers and six main dishes — that judges taste and assess.”

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) is providing $300,000 to ACAF over the next three years. Smotkowicz says this funding will help pay for team essentials such as transportation and practices, which are held every six weeks.

A key mission of Culinary Team Canada is to foster awareness of and promote Canadian food products. “Being from Alberta, meat, predominantly from right here, has always been part of our competition menu,” says Smotkowicz, “so it’s especially fitting to have ALMA come on as the team’s first major partner.”

“ALMA’s funding goes a long way toward setting the team on a firm foundation,” Smotkowicz says. “When you have chef members from around the country, transportation and meeting costs can definitely add up. But getting together is critical in building an elite culinary team.”

ALMA president and CEO Gordon Cove sees this funding as very much a part of the agency’s mandate.

“It’s definitely aligned with our goal of increasing demand for Alberta meat products by bringing these products to the global stage of culinary competition,” Cove says. “Not only are we showing what the chefs in Alberta and Canada can do but we’re also showing what our meat products can do.” Culinary Team Canada Manager Smotkowicz echoes that pride: “The culinary talent and quality products we have here are some of the best anywhere. We have a lot to show the rest of the world.”