Peter Hum ranks the dishes on the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championship

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On Saturday night time, where to be for Ottawa’s gourmands was once the Shaw Centre, the place the finale of the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championship featured 10 cooks from around the nation serving their absolute best efforts to a sold-out crowd of 550 diners.

Visitors queued at station after station, sampling culinary creations by means of cooks from Whistler, B.C. to Cell, Nfld. In the meantime, a panel of judges ate in judgement, and a few time after 10 p.m., the nationwide champion was once to be topped.

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In a feat of speed-eating and hasty judgment, I used to be ready to take a look at all 10 entries and make some snap choices on that have been higher and that have been worse. Under is my score of the dishes, from my least favorite to my favorite. It’s no longer but 9:30 p.m. as I end writing. We’ll noticed quickly how my alternatives evaluate with the ones of the judges.

10: Hawthorn

Chef Rupert Garcia of the eating place Hawthorn on the Fairmont Palliser, winner of the Calgary qualifier, served steelhead trout with cranberry apple fluid gel, creme fraiche and pickled radish. This dish was once too muted flavour-wise and there simply wasn’t sufficient going down at the plate for me.

9: Purple Deer Hotel and On line casino

Chef JP Dublado of the Purple Deer Hotel and On line casino, winner of the Edmonton qualifier, served a dish through which B.C. sablefish, Hokkaido scallops and corn had been touted. I’ve been extra inspired by means of sablefish and Hokkaido scallops once I’ve up to now had them, and the candy component at the latter threw it out of whack, I assumed.

8: Les Têtes Brûlées

Chef Thomas Deschamps of the eating place Les Têtes Brûlées, in Mascouche, an hour’s power north of Montreal, served beef cheek with cherries. This access sought to lift a humble beef pie, with blended effects. Whilst it were given the porky filling and sauce proper, I once more held the dish’s giant streak of sweetness towards it.

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7: FK

Chef Frank Parhizgar of the eating place FK in Toronto, served juniper-scented Dexter red meat cheek, heirloom carrots, hazelnut, morel noisette, and crispy red meat tendon. As a carnivore and cheek-meat lover, I truly sought after to love this another. However whilst a few of its parts inspired me, the meat cheek that I won was once simply too gelatinous. The dish additionally would were extra relaxing if it were hotter.

6: House Block at CedarCreek Property Vineyard

Chef Neil Taylor of House Block at CedarCreek Property Vineyard, winner of the Okanagan qualifier, served “coppa di testa” that includes preserved peaches, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, desserts, and lentils. This vastly portioned terrine was once wealthy on wealthy on wealthy. I assumed it might were edited down a little bit. As you’ll learn under, I most well-liked the championship’s different terrine to this one.

5: Aiana Eating place Collective

Chef Raghav Chaudhary of Aiana Eating place Collective, the winner of the Ottawa qualifier, served “The Flavours of Acadia,” that includes oysters, crab, trout, and algae. This dish was once cohesive and well-made, and its parsnip chowder was once relaxing. However the oyster-shaped vessel, constituted of potato, was once overly laborious.

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4: Harvest Eatery

Chef Garrett Thienes of Harvest Eatery in Shaunavon, Sask., winner of the Saskatoon qualifier, served rabbit saddle with bacon, sunchoke, bordelaise, rhubarb, plum mustard, and extra. My rabbit was once just a bit dry and its crunchy parts had been too crunchy.

3: Fork

Chef Kyle Puddester of the eating place Fork in Cell, Newfoundland, served an fit to be eaten lawn dish that includes textures of root greens, skyr, and oat fall apart. If there was once a prize for essentially the most sudden dish of the championship, this one would have taken it. This dish was once essentially the most provocative of the batch, mashing up candy and savoury on a plate. I, amongst others, concept it was once a dessert, however with some deluxe thrives. Alternatively, no longer all of its parts labored for me and I didn’t in finding that it was once a harmonious composition.

2: deer + almond

Chef Kristopher Kurus of deer + almond in Winnipeg served Manitoba beef terrine “en chou” with duxelles perogies, celeriac puree, and Manitoba pickles. Of the night time’s two terrines, the only was once awesome, due to its better number of flavours and impressions. The mini-perogi ticked off the field for cuteness.

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1: Wild Blue Eating place + Bar

Chef Jasper Cruickshank of Wild Blue Eating place + Bar, in Whistler, B.C. winner of the Vancouver qualifier, served shrimp, Dungeness crab, leeks, wakame, and geoduck clam. This seafood dish, whilst simple and out there, merely nailed all of its parts. Each and every merchandise at the plate was once a technical feat that spoke obviously and was once scrumptious. That is the dish that I maximum sought after to consume once more.

If you happen to had been on the Shaw Centre Saturday night time, which dishes truly received you over? Go away your two cents within the feedback under.

phum@postmedia.com

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