Last week a few of us curious food-loving types ventured to the Arts Institute to meet Hans Berg, the British Columbia competitor for the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef 2012 regional championships taking place in Toronto on January 30, 2012.   This is one of the 10 regional events that bring together culinary schools to compete for one winning spot to represent that region at the finals event. This battle could mean that Chef Berg gets the chance to compete  in Napa this March, judged by nationally renowned chefs at the finals competition.

Berg has chosen to incorporate San Pellegrino in his dish, marinating cod in the beverage and then using some of the lemon Pellegrino to finish the dish.  Berg hails from Norway and gives tribute to his home country with this dish of cod with a cod fritter, potatoes-dauphinoise, roasted beets and olives and some broccoli.  The dish has to be prepared in two hours and as we witnessed Berg put together the plate in a relatively relaxed mood (despite an arm in a cast), he seemed to be entirely prepared.

Competitors are judged on creativity; plate appearance, taste, texture, and aroma; and sanitation at their work station; as well as on their personality while being questioned by judges and media, and on their ability to perform under pressure.

Best of luck for tomorrow!

More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodlifevancouver/sets/72157629093970613/

FACTS: 

What Canadian schools are participating in 2012?

Culinary students selected from the top of their class to participate in the Canada Regional Competition are:

The George Brown Chef’s School (Toronto)

The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Vancouver

École hôtelière de la Capitale (Québec City)

Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (Montréal)

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts (Ottawa)

Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island (Nanaimo)

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (Edmonton)

Humber College (Toronto)

What qualifications do they need to participate?

Each school faculty will select two students to participate in the regional competition. Each student:

• Must be enrolled and currently taking culinary classes or on practicum (receiving credits)
• Must be at least a second-year student in a culinary degree or certificate program
• Must have a minimum of two but not more than four years of industry experience
• Must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Would preferably be fluent in English and outgoing, with a dynamic personality

When is the Canadian regional event and where?

It’s on January 30th at the Calphalon Culinary Center in Toronto

How does the regional event work?

Each student will be given two hours to prepare eight servings of an entrée signature dish, seven for judges and one for display. There will be a judging panel at each regional competition featuring chef judges, kitchen judges and media judges.

• Judges will be in the kitchen while competitors prepare their signature dish within two hours; all competitors will have a staggered start time.
• Judges have the opportunity to speak with the competitors while they are cooking their signature dishes, as well as to ask questions.
• Once each competitor is finished with his/her signature dish, he/she will present the dish to the judging panel, who will evaluate on kitchen, chef and personal impact & presence skills.
• At the end of judging, judges are encouraged to advise and take questions from competitors to mentor and assist in their culinary development.
• Judges will have the opportunity to score all competitors based on the criteria they are judging.
• All judges’ combined scores will help in selecting the candidate to represent his/her region at the finals competition event.

A reception will be held at each regional event for approximately 100-150 invited guests; the Calphalon Center will replicate tasting portions of each competitor’s signature dish.

How many other regions are participating this year?

There are ten regional events, including the event in Canada.

When is the finals event and where?

The finals competition will be held at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA, on March 9-12, 2012.

What does the regional winner receive?

Regional prizes are the following:

• Each participating student will be awarded a gift of appreciation from participating sponsors, including chef ware from Chef Revival.
• Each winning regional student will be provided an all-expense-paid trip to the finals competition, one-on-one time with nationally recognized chefs judging the competitions, public relations training prior to the competition and media exposure during the competition.

How does the finals event work?

Three competitions are incorporated into the finals competition: Mystery Basket, Signature Dish and People’s Choice:

• The Mystery Basket Competition is a two-hour task to prepare an entrée with provided ingredients.
• The Signature Dish Competition is a duplicate of the recipe; however, this time it is prepared for up to 200 distinguished guests.
• In the People’s Choice Competition, distinguished guest attendees vote on their favorite student dish.

What does the overall winner receive?

Finals prizes are the following:

• The Mystery Basket Winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize.
• The Signature Dish Winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize.
• The People’s Choice Winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize.
• Acqua Panna Fan Favorite Award Winner will receive a $3,000 cash prize.
• The overall S.Pellegrino AlmostFamous Chef Competition Winner will win:
  • A $10,000 cash prize
  • An offer of a position to work for a nationally recognized chef for one year
  • Media tours, interviews and various other public appearances around the U.S. and Canada