Food for Thought with Alex Bielak- Going for (culinary) Gold

Going for (culinary) Gold

One of the joys of writing (and I hope reading) this column is the unexpected tangents it takes.

There I was thinking about a column about a local food outlet, when I was “cordially invited to the Canadian Food and Wine Institute ~ Benchmark Restaurant” as their guest.

It turned out that the Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI - nowadays one of the top culinary training institutes in the country), needed sixty knowledgeable and critical eaters to provide feedback on a trial menu. Not just any menu that is, but a potentially golden one.

Before the dinner began, the Acting Dean of the college, Craig Youdale told us that the Canadian Culinary Federation hosts a Junior Competition every three years to allow young and aspiring Chefs to compete to
become the Canadian Representatives in International Competition.

CFWI have a team of twelve students and recent graduates, mentored by CFWI instructors, training to compete in Toronto this October, surprisingly the first time the College is fielding a team for the event. Of the twelve, four (one a pastry chef) will ultimately comprise the Institute’s starting line-up: if they win they’ll go on to represent Canada in 2016, at the World Culinary Olympics, in Erfurt Germany. (See here for information about the 2012 event.) They’ll also participate in other international competitions in the lead up to 2016.

The World Culinary Olympics provide a forum where young culinary talents rub shoulders with thousands of other competitors and supporters from over 50 countries as they are judged by the best chefs on the planet. You can get tickets to the meals and watch the action which takes place in a plexiglass “cage”, but book your tickets now, as this event sells out every time it is held.

Forget Gordon Ramsay’s Masterchef which is namby-pamby by comparison: this is hard core. A theme is prescribed and food must be prepared from scratch from raw ingredients. Multiple mandatory techniques and elements are required to be displayed on each plate and the cooks are operating under very tight time restrictions. This includes ensuring that each course is served within so many minutes, after which penalties are assessed every 30 seconds! As Dean Youdale put it “they are now at the stage where they HAVE to get it done.”

I experienced just a few moments of the pressure in the kitchen as the main course was being readied for service. Chef Instructor Avi Hollo, who is coordinating the effort for the College, was, shall we say, emphatic that he wanted their food out of the door “in two minutes”. He was equally emphatic that if the pasta was not cooked, that it was not (NOT!) going out. The aspiring Olympians were contorting themselves in the tight quarters of the pass to get everything on the plate.

So what about the food? Before we sat down, Chef Avi told said he was feeling “pretty confident” about the menu. “95% of the ingredients are local or Canadian, and (we) want to show as much skill on a plate as possible.” As diners we experienced the “hot kitchen menu.” Once you appreciate the number of elements comprising each course, you’ll understand how complex the task really was.

Preceded by a nice goat cheese “amuse,” the “Sampling of Canadian Fish and Seafood” (Lobster cromesquis, chilled smoked whitefish mousse, sous vide arctic char, cucumber salad under pressure, avocado puree and lemongrass veloute) was followed by a “Duo of Provimi Veal” (white veal loin, veal tongue and mushroom farce, red walnut crust, veal cheek pasta, apple-fennel purée, minus 8 gastrique and autumn vegetables). The dinner ended with a “Chocolate Lime Mousse Mignon” (marscapone panna cotta, stone fruit marmalade, macaron, Niagara College Prodigy icewine infusion).

My pictures (see link at end of column) don’t do justice to the dishes served. The first and dessert courses were particularly appealing, but the main was, frankly, a bit monochrome. There was certainly much to appreciate and provide constructive feedback on via a detailed survey each diner was asked to fill out.

There were two brilliant standouts for me. The first was the lobster cromesquis, a tasty battered and deep-fried taste of lobster with a liquid sauce centre that burst in my mouth.

The second was the sublime whitefish mousse topped with a dollop of crunchy, contrasting caviar. The fish taste was beautiful and this course element had a bit of a kick (it would perhaps have been just ever so slightly too much if the smooth avocado purée hadn’t been there). That came from a dash of tabasco said Daniella Germond, the young chef who had prepared it.

When I asked her why she was devoting so much time to participating, Daniella, who is just going into the second year of her course, said she was really proud of the College and wanted to represent Canada. That was echoed by David Ross, another first year, who was full of praise for their instructors. “They’ll do anything to help you succeed.” (During my interview with him, Chef Avi’s thoughts were reciprocal. “Their success is our success” he said).

Both agreed that competing is an opportunity of a lifetime. “The sky’s the limit if we compete for Team Canada” said David.

The invitation to the event had come via Sarah Scott, Benchmark’s busy Manager of Dining Operations and a grad of the College herself. I’d be remiss in not saying that her crew of seven front of house student servers performed immaculately, really allowing the food to be the focus. “It’s really inspiring.” she said of the event.

The students get another kick on September 29th at rehearsing their “hot menu” for presentation to professional chefs with Olympic experience. There is also an element of the competition that concentrates on the “cold” side, focussing on presentation of foods. The public is invited to view the spectacular showpieces the students produce for that aspect of the contest, in the lobby of Benchmark restaurant on September 28th. “They’re unbelievable to see” said Dean Youdale.

So best of luck to the final four and their mentors. I’d love to be in Toronto, and ultimately Germany, to cheer them on.

Note: the author was a guest of Niagara College for the dinner, though diners paid for their own refreshments. The college did not see or review this article prior to publication.

To see more pictures, click here.

Alex (Alex can be reached at fft@thehamiltonian.info ) or on twitter @AlexBielak

Food for Thought logo, designed and kindly donated by Ninka Bielak. Ninka can be reached at ninka.bielak@gmail.com.