Quebec Student Earns Canada’s Spot in 2013 S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

Even in the best of times forward thinkers worry about one thing: where will the next generation of talent come from and how can we foster it?

That was something on everyone's mind this Monday at Cirillo's Culinary Academy in Toronto as seven of Canada's brightest young culinary students competed in the Canadian Regionals of S.Pellegrino's Almost Famous Chef Competition. The Italian water brand, owned by food giant Nestlé, has developed a reputation of supporting the culinary arts as title sponsor of the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards for the past six years and the Almost Famous Chef Competition, which has aimed to discover and nurture the next big culinary talent for a decade.

Almost Famous sees top students selected (usually via an internal competition) from some of the best culinary schools in North America to square off against their peers in a cooking competition where a regional winner is crowned. Schools are given some guidelines for selecting their student competitors such as minimum and maximum: industry experience, grade point average and classroom experience. So being selected to represent their culinary school is a huge accomplishment and honour. The Canadian Regional competition saw students from the likes of The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Vancouver, Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec and more locally Humber College and the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College vie for a chance to represent Canada in the Almost Famous final.

During the contest competitors are given two hours to cook and plate 10 portions of a signature dish for a panel featuring some of Canada's top food media and chefs as well as a panel of chef instructors from culinary academia. Through a series of criteria that covers everything from safe food handling practices, kitchen organisation, creativity and most importantly the dish's flavour, texture and how well it's cooked, the two judging panels score each participant.

But this is also very much a culinary contest for today's world. These days being a chef is often as much about charm as it is about kitchen talent. So it was unsurprising to learn Food Network is filming all the regionals and the upcoming final. Unlike many older culinary contests, an eye for that elusive charismatic “it” factor is deeply engrained in the judging criteria for Almost Famous. An "outgoing and dynamic personality" is a suggested trait schools consider when selecting a student for the contest. Judges are also asked to evaluate challengers on "personal impact & presence skills" based on how articulate they are in presenting their dish and answering questions during the tasting panel interview, as well as any they may have asked while observing them cooking. A lesson participants take away is that just like in the highly competitive real world of the hospitality industry, confidence and your ability to sell your personal brand is just as important as how skilful you are in the kitchen.

Kellie Callender of the Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island made the most of his station's position. While a velvet rope separated the other competitors from attendees, Callender's station was just on the other side, allowing the crowd to more easily see what he was doing and for him to work-up a rapport with them. That came in handy during plating when one attendee proclaiming to have his back hinted that he should take a quick look as one of his plates which was short a sunchoke chip garnish. The combination of confit sockeye salmon in his dish with a beet quinoa salad, crab-stuffed leek and Jerusalem artichoke purée resonated with the crowd, who were able to get an idea of what the judges were tasting via small plates inspired by each competitors' signature dish—cooked by Cirillo’s staff throughout the evening. Callender's dish was well received by the judges who said it spoke to a west coast sensibility with its seasonal ingredients and lighter flavours. But the crowd of attendees was even more impressed awarding him the People's Choice honours.

But as much as this contest is about great food, it's also about a good personal story. Kevan Hafichuk from the Pacific Inisititue of Culinary Arts in Vancouver had a story that stood out. As a freshman at the University of Calgary, Hafichuk had a promising football career playing as a defensive back for the school's renown Dinos football team up until late 2011. Then a separated shoulder from a snowboarding injury last winter essentially ended his football career. While he was figuring out his next step he visited a friend and connected with recent graduate from Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts who had left football behind for kitchen success. After tasting some his dishes he fell in love with the culinary world quickly immersing himself in all things gastronomy and enrolling in culinary school late last year. Although the judges ultimately felt some of his finer touches, like the precise seasoning of his oxtail and lemongrass tortellini, feel a little short, they were throughly impressed with the skills the rosy-cheeked first-year culinary student displayed with his dish centred around poached spot prawns.

Local competitors made a strong impression as well. Janine Hall of Niagara College's Canadian Food and Wine Institute was earnest, solemn and unflinching in her focus while she worked to complete her intricate dish under two hours. But afterwards she was all smiles, affably joking with fellow competitors, attendees and her instructors. Her dedication earned her a second place finish. Interestingly, concerns about factory farming of meat led her to begin eating vegan a little less than half a year ago. Still she's practical about how her personal beliefs might affect her potential career. Realising most people aren't vegan, she believed that demonstrating that she could skilfully cook meat would likely be crucial consideration in competition looking for the best young cook. Her dish called Oh Deer featured a strong venison component—a protein which by its nature isn't factory farmed. The judges praised it for its execution and how the jerk-spiced venison and plantain-parsley root purée playfully combined flavours from her heritage with local seasonal ingredients like squash, potatoes and beets. Like many of the other participants, Hall also develops her kitchen skills outside of the classroom by working part time in local restaurants. In her spare time outside class she cooks at Rise Above, a St. Catherine's vegan restaurant, and at the acclaimed Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine on weekends.

But as good as Hall performed, the night belonged to Jean-Christophe Comtois from École hôtelière de la Capitale in Québec City. Watching Comptois it seemed as if the high-pressure environment of a national kitchen competition didn't phase him. Although all the competitors had practiced and mastered the timing of their signature dish for weeks leading-up to the competition, most displayed an understandable touch of frenetic energy to get it all done before the five minute tasting window closed and the food would not go out to the judges. But Comptois possessed a poise that elevated his performance to another level. There was an economy to his movement that was a little more elegant and seemed effortless—especially the composure he showed during the final five minutes. Each step he took towards completing his dish was precise, powerful, purposeful and swift, but never hurried. That overarching grace was something the judges recognised, praising him for his minimalist modern plate of veal tenderloin, Matsutake mushrooms and a crispy polenta cake flavoured with Tomme des Joyeux Fromagers—a Quebec washed-rind goat cheese. The judges enjoyed the purity and precision of his dish; the balance between its flavours and textures; how harmonious all the elements were and how it showcased the seasonal produce and artisan ingredients of his home province.

Modern seasonally-driven food which respects and enhances the ingredients' natural taste is precisely what Comptois aims for in his cooking, he said after winning the contest. For him eye-catching colour, a contrast of textures and a balance of flavours between: salty, sweet, spicy, sour and umami, is always something he strives for in every plate. That's something he has really focused on over the past 1.5 years, which has seen him hone his kitchen skills since winning a Quebéc Television show looking for the province's most talented amateur cook called Et que ça saute! He continues to further refined his skills at culinary school and Le Clocher Penché bistro where he works part time—he credits the instructors and staff at both with helping him develop his kitchen skills and approach.

Comptois' next step is practicing for the Almost Famous final. He along with the nine other regional winners from across North America will face-off between March 8-10 at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California. Naturally with the stakes increased, the finals will be a little more involved. It consists of two parts: a two hour challenge where an entree must be made from the ingredients in a mystery basket and essentially a repeat of the regionals where students prepare the signature dish that got them to final, but this time for a panel of celebrity chef judges and up to 200 guests who will determine a People's Choice winner. Winning one of those will earn a competitor $3,000, but they're all hoping to win the overall prize of a one-year internship with a celebrity chef of their choosing from the panel as well as the PR and media exposure that comes with earning the Almost Famous title. Now the $10,000 that comes with the honour would no doubt be welcome by the winner, receiving some mentorship and assistance starting a culinary career could prove far more invaluable.