Chef Danny Smiles, chef de cuisine at Le Bremner in Montreal is representing Canada this year at the 14th annual S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup held in Venice, Italy on June 13th and 14t—the first time a Canadian chef will compete in the event. One challenge will be is creating an award winning dish in a sailboat galley while it is racing around a course. Crazy!
“For sure, it’s an unusual cooking challenge,” said Danny Smiles “Creating a winning dish in a sailboat galley while it’s racing around a course in the Venetian lagoon is hard to imagine. But I’m definitely up for it and honoured S. Pellegrino selected me to compete as its first Canadian competitor.”
I asked him a couple questions just before he left for the trip.
What are you looking forward to most on this trip? – Winning!
What are you doing in Italy besides cooking? – I’m going to explore Venice as much as I can in one day.
Any restaurants on your must visit list? – Antiche Caranpane
What ingredients are you bringing with you on the trip? – Maple syrup
What are the challenges you anticipate while cooking on the ship? – Rough waters
What dish will you make (or is that a secret)? – Definitely, top secret
What will you bring home from Italy? – Vintage Baggio jersey
The two-day event includes:
· Signature Dish Competition: 10 participating chefs prepare their signature dish for guests and judges on Friday evening, June 13th at the S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Young Chef of the Year 2014 Dinner
· People’s Choice: guests vote for their favourite signature dish
· Food Critic Award: media judges vote for their favourite signature dish
· S.Pellegrino Cooking Cup: while crews try to make the best possible time around the sailing course, each chef prepares a dish in the galley, hoping to earn enough points to secure their team’s victory
· S.Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year: the winner, selected by combining scores in the regatta and the Signature Dish competition, is announced at a gala evening event on June 14th
Each participating chef represents a country where S.Pellegrino is marketed. Last year’s event included chefs from Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and the United States.
Follow the Cooking cup conversation on Twitter and Instagram: #SPCookingCup
