Today we were gathered at one of Sheraton Wall Centre Vancouver’s Grande Ballrooms for a unique fundraiser reception.
This was the “Road To Culinary Gold” in support of Team Canada Bocuse d’Or. They represent Canada at one of the most prestigious and demanding culinary competitions in the world. It is like the Olympics of professional cooking and brings together elite chefs from around the world to compete in an intense, timed culinary challenge where technique, creativity, flavour, presentation and teamwork are all judged.
Fundraising efforts for the Team include guest participation in a high-stakes live auction and 50/50 draw. And all proceeds from the evening directly contributed to helping Culinary Team Canada at this competition. The Team has limited resources and relies on community and corporate sponsorship through events like this for training, equipment costs, and travel requirements.
On this night VIPs were granted early access with a meet and greet of popular BC Chefs, Pastry Chefs, and well-known Guest Chefs who showcased their talents and shared their passion for both culinary arts and making a difference. They welcomed Culinary Athlete Chef Keith Pears, who hosted said early access meet and greet with culinary students who crafted their own dish and hosted a station alongside Chef Pears in the Grande Foyer.
Sadly, I did not take a part in that. Instead, I came for the 6:30pm Team Canada Gala. Guests were invited to either dress in Team Canada jerseys and colours or cocktail attire. So the crowd was split in their outfit choices. I went with the latter and felt over done.
The room was set up reception style, where all 13 participatory chefs had their own table and station, that semi/circled the room. It was a who’s who of famed chefs, but you really needed to know who they were and their faces going in. As each sign by their table only listed their names and what they were preparing. No mention of their previous pedigree or the current kitchen they represent.
However from the press release we knew L’Abattoir’s Jasper Cruickshank, Top Chef Canada competitor Felix Zhou, Jesse Friesen from Winnipeg, former Bocuse d’Or candidate Scott Jaeger, Starri Chow and Fumiko Moreton from Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, Clement Chan of The Apron, Saeko Choi representing Glowbal Group, Byran Hendricks of Athabasca Catering, Roary MacPherson all the way from Newfoundland, James Thomson and Billy Chan from Team Delta Burnaby, and Chocolatiers Thomas Haas and Chez Christoph with shops under own names were in attendance.
Each station was paired with a specific Tinhorn Creek varietal, as the wine sponsor. Each pour was in a new glass and a full 5-6oz. There were also beer, cider, and mixology stations for those who wanted something other than wine.
Guests were invited to visit and taste each Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Wine and food pairing and score the small plates paired with wine to determine the Fan Favourite, the Best Small Plate, and the Wine Pairing of the Evening. The Winning Chefs received a prize and acknowledgement. You voted for their favourite using a QR code and your personal assigned identification number.
Guests had the opportunity to interact with Chocolate Ambassador and Chef Christophe Bonzon of Chez Christophe as he hosted a food station and showcased his craft with a live chocolate demonstration. He also had his own food station serving up a Pear and Earl Grey Tartlets with earl grey-infused pear, pear foam, earl grey milk chocolate namelaka, and caramelized popcorn.
The following are the plates I actually got to try, in the order that we had them. Admittedly it was hard to get to all the food hall -style stations. There was a need to grab your plate, napkin, eating utensils, and glass of wine at the same. And when your hands were full you needed a place to put everything down on. Luckily we were able reserve a table so that we could travel back and forth from station to table, allowing us to sit and enjoy our bites.
James Thomson and Billy Chan prepared a Stuffed Chicken Wingette with fish sauce caramel and pickled jalapeño. Served with Tinhorn Creek’s pinot gris. This was my favourite of the night I found it equal parts comforting and fun. You use your hands and bite into what is essentially a spring roll, but instead of a deep fried dough wrapper you get deep fried chicken with crispy skin as your shell.
Jesse Friesen’s Canadian Beef Tartare foie gras with blackberry, fig, pickled shallot, manchego, and furikake choux made a great light start. Paired with Tinhorn Creek cabernet franc.
Clement Chan had a fun and easy to eat meat and veggies on a stick. “Galbi” Beef (Kushiyaki) with house made kimchi, potato gallet, and shiso salsa verde. It had both Korean and Mexican flavours doing a peekaboo, depending on which segment of the kabob you bit down on.
Bryan Hendricks had a Smoked Duck Breast with potato pave, dark chocolate, chanterelles, whipped feta, pumpkin spice gastrique, and cherry pearls. I enjoyed the show of the duck being sliced and the sauce being drizzled. It was as delicious as it was entertaining, but there was not enough of the duck. It felt like but a sliver, as there was double the amount of potato to meat.
I liked the Hokkaido Scallop from Jasper Cruickshank with celeriac, kaffir lime leaf, and shio koji beurre blanc. Although would have preferred if we got a single whole scallop to best enjoy its texture, as aposed to a scoop of the mini version that came across fairly chewy. The creamy sauce was a delicious standout.
Roary MacPherson had Wagyu Shortrib Croquettes with Newfoundland mustard pickles. The latter came from Newfoundland with him, alongside pins that were up for grabs as freebies. I liked the meatiness of the croquette, but the bright and bold tang of the pickles threw me off. They were a little more potent and overpowered the crispy battered meat ball. The pairing of Tinhorn Creek cabernet franc did help to balance things out.
The Bison Tenderloin and Lobster by Starri Chow was the room’s favourite with potato crusted canadian bison, shaved black truffles, kabocha squash puree, golden beets, and Saskatoon berry jus. It was an abbreviated take on surf and turf with the added luxury of truffle. Served with Tinhorn Creek’s cabernet franc.
Scott Jaeger’s Chargrilled Trout came highly anticipated, but was a little dry. The topping of baby fennel escabeche, sungold, and harissa also wasn’t as complimentary as it reads. Here, Tinhorn Creek’s gewurztraminer came to the rescue injecting some contrasting sugars to balance out bites.
Felix Zhou offered up Pacific Octopus Terrine with grannysmith apple puree, fennel shallot yuzu, squid ink crisp, and dill oil. I don’t immediately get octopus in flavour or texture, but did enjoy the crunch of the crisp.
For dessert we weren’t able to get to everything as we ran out of time. But Sacko Choi Lychee Mousse with yuzu gel, black sesame sponge, and lychee compote was highly celebrated as a lighter sweet end. I liked the fragrant black sesame, but could have used more floral lychee notes, as promised.
Sadly we missed out on Fumiko Moreton’s Deconstructed Baklava Ice Cream with crispy filo pastry, tuile autumn leaves, creamy pistachio ice cream, rosewater syrup, and candied nuts. And Thomas Haas’ Chocolate Soufflé with raspberry coulis, and pistachio butter.
In short, this was a great way to spend the evening in support of a great cause, witnessing directly what the funds of the fundraiser goes towards.
