Chefs Announced for 2011 Gold Medal Plates Competition

Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay takes on ten talented B.C. chefs at The Westin Bayshore on November 4th Vancouver, BC (October 5, 2011) – After finishing second in 2009 (to Rob Feenie) and again in 2010 (to Robert Clark), Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay will go for the top prize at the 2011 Gold Medal Plates competition in Vancouver on November 4th in a battle against ten of B.C.’s most talented chefs.

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian excellence in cuisine, wine, sport and entertainment. The Vancouver competition is one of nine that will be staged in Canadian cities this fall, with the winners from each city competing in the Canadian finals in Kelowna next February.

The 2011 competition in Vancouver features: from Kelowna: Rod Butters (RauDZ Regional Table) and Mark Filatow (Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar); from Whistler: Tim Cuff (Aura); and from Vancouver: Ned Bell (Four Seasons Hotel), Lee Cooper (L’Abattoir Restaurant), Rob Feenie (Cactus Club Café), Dale MacKay (ensemble Restaurant), Alana Peckham (CRU), Adam Pegg (La Quercia), Neil Taylor (Cibo Trattoria) and Joël Watanabe (Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie).

Each chef will prepare one appetizer-sized dish for approximately 500 to 800 guests. Chefs must select a Canadian wine or beverage to pair with his or her dish and, to ensure a level playing field, chefs must use plates provided by

The Westin Bayshore. Chefs will be allowed a maximum of 10 staff members, in addition to two wine pourers per station.

Chef Robert Clark, who will be cooking for the VIP reception that precedes the main event. Each dish will be judged out of 100 points, based on visual presentation (20%), texture (20%), taste (30%), wine compatibility (10%), originality (10%) and wow factor (10%).

Over the past six years, Gold Medal Plates competitions across Canada have raised more than $5 million for the Canadian Olympic Foundation, which supports athletes and high performance programs such as Own the Podium.

Mingling with the guests and enjoying the culinary dishes will be more than 25 Olympians. The emcee for the evening will be Vancouver native Marnie McBean, a triple gold medallist in rowing.

Gold Medal Plates Vancouver will once again feature a silent auction as well as a live auction, featuring spectacular getaways with Olympians and Canadian entertainers to destinations such as Tuscany, Napa Valley, Chile, Provence, Burgundy and Kelowna for the Canadian Gold Medal Plates finals.

Music for the evening will be provided by Canadian legends Barney Bentall (Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts), Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea) and other musicians, who’ll treat guests to an evening of British classics.

For ticket information for the 2011 Gold Medal Plates competition in Vancouver, contact Kristina Wenner at Vancouver@goldmedalplates.com or 604-646-3580. For more information, visit the Gold Medal Plates website www.goldmedalplates.com.

Canadian Olympic Foundation – The Beneficiary of the events: The Canadian Olympic Foundation is a national charitable organization created by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) supporting high performance athletes across all winter and summer sports. The Foundation’s Mission is to generate support to meet the technical, scientific, medical and coaching needs of

Canada’s high performance sport system and assist Canada’s athletes in becoming ambassadors for sport, healthy living and the pursuit of excellence across the nation. Net proceeds from Gold Medal Plates are given to the Canadian Olympic Foundation to support high performance programs such as Own the Podium. To learn more about the Foundation and the programs it funds, please visit www.olympicfoundation.ca.