Friendly competition at Stone Soup Chef competition

It’s a battle where the weapons of choice are edible.
This month, eight chefs from the Central Okanagan will go head-to-head in the fourth annual Stone Soup Chef competition.
The event pits two chefs against one another to make a soup using only the ingredients in the pantry of the Kelowna Gospel Mission. After a tasting from community judges, the winning chef from each pair will move onto the next round.
“Stone Soup for us is really important because part of it is to show people you can make healthy, nutritious meals for your family with simple basic ingredients,” said Ami Catriona, communications director for the Kelowna Gospel Mission.
Brianne Haight, a chef at the Bread Company in Kelowna, made a pumpkin soup with an apple and cheese topping during her head-to-head competition with Taylor Van Ryssel from Local Lounge and Grill.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity to show the community that it doesn’t matter where you are in life, it should be delicious,” she said.
And despite the stress of an iron chef style competition, Haight says the experience is actually quite enjoyable.
“Everyone here is a lot of fun to work with. There’s friendly competition. It’s all for the right reasons,” she said.
“The main thing for me is we’re helping out the people who are less fortunate than us,” said Van Ryssel, who made turkey chowder with roasted corn and garlic cheese croutons.
Semi-finals will be held February 25 and 27. The final event will be held March 2 at the Okanagan Delta Grand Hotel.
The gala at the hotel is a fundraising effort for the Kelowna Gospel Mission, which is aiming to raise money for a steamer and new warming table in its kitchen. The Kelowna Gospel Mission services about 400 meals a day.