KELOWNA–Okanagan College Culinary and Pastry Arts students will have the chance to work alongside the best chefs in the country this weekend.
They’ll be kitchen assistants to the 11 chefs duking it out at the Canadian Culinary Championships’ Gold Medal Plates event.
“It’s a prime opportunity for the students to showcase the skills learned in class in a competition environment and allows them to network with some of Canada’s best chefs at a time when they are looking to launch their careers,” says Chef Bernard Casavant, culinary manager at Okanagan College and president of the Okanagan Chefs Association.
Chanetelle Eustache was a part of Chef Ryan O’Flynn’s gold-winning team at last year’s competition.
“Getting to work beside these top chefs, rub shoulders with the industry’s best, it was over the top,” says the 32-year-old Okanagan Indian Band member from Vernon, who is now working at The Point Grill in Vancouver. She graduated from the College’s Culinary Arts program last June.
Eustache and O’Flynn are back together again this year, as he requested her help in preparing the competition’s opening VIP dinner at Big White.
On Friday, chefs will prepare dishes for the mystery wine pairing event at the Delta Grand Hotel, while Saturday will be spent competing at the Black Box event at the College.
The finale event is Saturday evening at the Delta Grand Hotel.
Tickets to the Black Box Challenge are sold out, but it will be streamed live online. A link will be released prior to the start of the competition at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning on Twitter: @GoldMedalPlates.
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