Calgary Gold Medal Plates 2008

The chefs of Calgary (and Canmore) performed superbly and the judges agreed that it was particularly hard to determine a winner – indeed, the marks of the top four chefs all fell between 79.4% and 81.7%! This was also the first time a purely vegetarian dish has won a gold medal – and in Alberta, the land of beef, too!

The gold medal winner was Hayato Okamitsu, the executive chef of Catch. His dish was the most ambitious of the night in terms of complexity, but he carried it off in a masterful way. The tallest thing on the plate was a shot glass of hot smoked corn and wild rice soup with a crisp shaped like a miniature lorgnette posed across the rim. A square of densely textured butternut squash parfait was topped with a superfine broccoli pistou and enriched with oka cheese. A sturdy tortellini, the pasta dyed green with sage, was filled with supple little golden chanterelles, and a comma of white sauce on the plate turned out to be a delectably tangy purée of onion and sherry. The Sumac Ridge 2006 Private Reserve Chardonnay proved to be an inspired wine choice, the slight oakiness and the background fruit working with every element of the dish. Congratulations to Chef Okamitsu!

And now the competitors have all been chosen for the Canadian Culinary Championship which will take place in the majestic Fairmont Banff Springs hotel from February 19 to 21, 2009. In order of this fall’s events, they are Charles Part of Les Fougères, representing Ottawa-Gatineau; Patrick Lin of Senses, representing Toronto; Denise Cornellier of Denise Cornellier Traiteur, representing Montreal; Frank Pabst of Blue Water Café, representing Vancouver; David Cruz of Sage, representing Edmonton; and Hayato Okamitsu of Catch, representing Calgary. They have slightly less than three months to formulate their plans and gather their energies for what will prove a challenge of Olympic proportions. I have every confidence that eager supporters from their home towns will want to join us for the weekend to cheer on their champion. All will be welcome.

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