WATCH ABOVE: It’s like the Olympics of the culinary world – the annual Canadian Culinary Championships. This year’s gold medal winner is from Edmonton. Chef Ryan O’Flynn spoke about his victory to Erin Chalmers during Thursday’s Global Edmonton Morning News.
EDMONTON – An Edmonton chef came out on top at a national food competition this weekend. Chef Ryan O’Flynn of the Westin Edmonton Hotel won gold at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna, B.C.
Chef O’Flynn beat 10 other top chefs, who advanced to the final competition after winning regional Gold Medal Plates championships across Canada back in the fall. O’Flynn is the first chef from Edmonton to take home the prestigious title. In addition to bragging rights, O’Flynn took home a BMW car.
Silver went to Antonio Park of Montreal’s Restaurant Park, and bronze to Kristian Eligh of Vancouver’s Hawksworth Restaurant.
The two-day national event started with a mystery wine competition on Friday, where chefs paired a small plate dish with Stoneboat Vineyards 2012 Pinotage, a red Okanagan Valley wine the chefs received less than a day before. Each chef and their team prepared servings for 500 people.
The grand finale on Saturday night saw eleven chefs serve a dish of their choice, but had to incorporate lobster, yams, quinoa and sea buckthorn from the mystery black box.
The black box challenge was livestreamed, giving food lovers a chance to follow along as teams hustled to prepare their creations. Each chef chose their own wine or cider pairing.
Chef O’Flynn wowed the crowd with a terrine of pine smoked Alberta river sturgeon and cured Quebec foie gras, mixed with North West Territory morel mushrooms, the texture of Okanagan apples, and toasted brioche. He paired the food with Sandhill Small Lots 2013 Viognier, another red B.C. wine.
The two-day event will be held in Kelowna until 2020, with proceeds going to the Canadian Olympic Foundation. Gold Medal Plates began back in 2003 as a fundraiser to support support high performance athletes. It has raised $9.5 million for programs such as Own the Podium: a not-for-profit organization that provides funding and expertise to Canada’s national sports organizations, with the goal of winning more medals at the Olympic and Paralympic games.
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