MONTREAL – Stirring, slicing and sizzling – this is the finals of the Tablée des Chefs Brigades Culinaires event.
Four high school teams faced off to see whose school has the best student chefs.
“The future is whatever they want to make of it,” said Ricardo Larrivée, the event’s host.
“When you learn how to cook, you work on your self-esteem and your self-esteem is the base of everything.”
Teams have 60 minutes to create a dish using the secret ingredients – in this case, locally sourced scallop and shrimp.
Competition is fierce.
The island of Montreal was represented by Georges-Vanier high school, who went up against teams from Dominique-Racine in Chicoutimi, Polyvalente St-Jérôme and Jacques-Rousseau in Longueuil.
“They become the food leaders and we get that excitement and that hype in the schools,” explained Jean-François Archambault, who founded the organization.
The competition started as a way to ignite a “foodie” interest in Quebec teens.
“Food is the heart and base of not only a family, but a community, a nation,” said Larrivée.
As well as teaching them about nutrition.
“When you prepare the foods that you eat, you eat better,” said Archambault.
“You know the portions that you eat and you understand more and more the impact of food on your health.”
Tensions ran high up until the last seconds.
Then, it was time for the judges to get to work and literally sink their teeth into the competition.
“At first we were all scared that we wouldn’t get it,” said Santhos Veluppillai, a student competitor with Georges-Vanier.
“But when we finished it, it was really beautiful.”
Veluppillai’s team didn’t end up winning – the big prize went to the team from Longueuil.
But he says he’s just grateful to have made it this far.
“We had fun still. I have one more chance next year,” he said.
“We’re going to catch up and we’re going to win then.”
Some food for thought for the runners-up.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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