Last night at The Calphalon Culinary Center, George Brown student Jean-François Daigle prepared his signature dish during a fast-paced, high-pressure cooking competition to win the title of Canadian Regional S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef. Daigle showcased his culinary expertise before assembled celebrity chef judges Chef Jeff Dell of Milestones Restaurant in Toronto, Chef Laurent Godbout of L’Épicier in Montréal and Chef Chris Mills of Joeys Restaurants in Vancouver. Media judges included James Chatto of Food and Drink Magazine, Claire Tansey of Chatelaine Magazine and David Ort of Food with Legs. The judges awarded Jean-François the coveted title and the rare chance to compete at the Finals Competition to be held at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in Napa Valley, California on March 11-14, 2011.

During the intense competition, Jean-François performed with confidence while competing against seven fellow culinary students representing his alma mater, The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Vancouver, École hôtelière de la Capitale (Québec City) and the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (Montréal). Jean-François impressed the panel of judges with his creative signature dish recipe, Honey Seared Bison Tenderloin while remaining calm and taking their comments and advice to heart. He accepted his title before an enthusiastic audience of local media, chefs and invited guests during the tasting reception.

Jean-François will be one of ten regional winners to be flown to the finals event in March where he will compete against nine other regional winners from across North America during the three-day finals in front of a panel of food media, distinguished guests and renowned chefs. The overall winner will take the title, up to $20,000 in prizes and a paid apprenticeship from one of the participating chef judges.

The Finals competition will be streamed live via the Almost Famous Chef website and Facebook page again this year. Fans can interact with the participating chefs and media, as well as each other to get all the updates and insider information during the competition.

“I feel very humbled to have won this competition against the great talent of my fellow competitors,” says Daigle. “Although I was nervous presenting to the judges, I believed in my vision. I’ve learned from a number of great chefs and it’s this learning that helped me achieve this honour.”

A new addition this year to the Canadian Regional Competition was the People’s Choice Award. Christine Amanatidis of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Vancouver won the palates and hearts of everyone in attendance at The Calphalon Culinary Center with her signature recipe Crispy Duck Breast with Chestnut Bread Pudding.

“Winning the People’s Choice Award is awesome, but I didn’t come here to win, I came here to learn and it’s been a great learning experience,” said Amanatidis. “Ultimately you compete with yourself and I feel I did very well.”