Gold Medal Plates (Victoria) 2014 Winners

Last night a sold out crowd at the Victoria Conference Centre dined on dishes prepared by some of the top chefs in British Columbia. The occasion was the Gold Medal Plates gala evening and chef competition. Gold Medal Plates takes place in various cities around the country. The winning chef from each competition then goes on to the Finale – The Canadian Culinary Championship – on February 6^th and 7^th in Kelowna where the top chef will be chosen. Net proceeds from Gold Medal Plates are given to the Canadian Olympic Foundation to support high performance programs such as Own the Podium. To date over $8.2 million has been raised.

Sequestered outside of the main hall in the Sidney room a panel of judges (James Chatto, Andrew Morrison, Shelora Sheldan, Sinclair Philips, Brian Skinner of the Acorn Restaurant – last year’s winner – and myself) scored the dishes.

Each chef presented their plate to the judges and explained how it was prepared. Then, the dish was scored on the basis of visual, texture, taste, technique, the wine pairing, originality and its overall wow factor. The level of cooking was outstanding and all the competing chefs should be proud of their work.

After all the dishes had been scored the winners were announced. Below are the dishes.

GOLD: Kristian Eligh, Hawksworth Restaurant (Vancouver)

Paired Wine: Meyer Family Vineyards 2012 Tribute Series Chardonnay ‘Kelly Hrudey’ Old Main Road Vineyard, Naramata

Hawksworth: Confit pork neck, granny smith apple, puffed Avonlea cheddar, mâche

SILVER: Wesley Young,  Wildebeest (Vancouver)

Paired Wine: Cedar Creek 2011 Platinum ‘Block 2′ Pinot Noir
, Kelowna

Wildebeest: Boudin of duck breast & confit leg, duck liver espuma, fig purée, truffle potato, blanched Tokyo turnip

BRONZE: Terry Pichor, Sonora Resort (Sonora Island)

Paired Wine: Kanazawa Winery 2012 Nomu, Naramata

Senora Resort: Senora “Dashi” cured lingcod, Humboldt squid, steamed Dungeness crab, raw shaved pine mushroom, pickled kelp

RUNNERS UP:

Stephan Drolet, Camilles Restaurant (Victoria)

Camilles Restaurant: Venison carpaccio

Morgan Wilson, Fairmont Empress (Victoria)

Fairmont Empress: BC spot prawns, caviar & ink aioli

Jeff Van Geest, Miradoro Restaurant (Oliver)

Tinhorn Creek: Beef tongue pastrami, fermented cabbage, kabocha squash, black trumpets, rye cavatelli

Jeff Keenliside, The Marina Restaurant (Victoria)

The Marina: Beet cured wild salmon, black rice crisp, pickled chanterelles and sea lettuce, chevre cream

Garrett Schack, Vista 18 (Victoria)

Vista 18: Seared chicken breast with celeriac, charred tomato, cilantro chimichurri and chicken skin popcorn

Chris Remington, Penticton Lakeside Resort (Penticton)

Penticton Lakeside Resort