Montreal, March 22, 2023 — After ranking 11th at the Bocuse d’Or and 10th at the World Pastry Cup, Team Canada is ready to pass on the torch. The road to Lyon 2025 starts at the RC Show on April 10 and 12, where contenders to both international culinary contests will battle for the chance to take the reign of one of the teams and represent the Canadian food industry on the world stage.
CHEFS CANADA, the organization that manages our national culinary teams, has combed through applications, and selected four applicants to go forth on Monday, April 10, for a chance to lead Bocuse d’Or Team Canada and four candidates for the World Pastry Cup National Selection who will battle on Wednesday April 12:
Under the eye of the country’s leading industry professionals, contenders will go head-to-head in a high-energy battle for the chance to become our national culinary athletes. The event, modeled after the world-famous Bocuse d’Or and World Pastry Cup in Lyon (France), will take place on the Garland Stage at the RC Show, Canada’s leading foodservice trade event. For the Bocuse participants, they will have 2,5 hours to reinvent the Châteaubriand using Montpak veal from Quebec. The Pastry contenders will present a chocolate entremets and put together a sculpture using Valrhona chocolate.
Expectations are high for the next contenders. In addition to experience, creative mastery, stellar execution and unparalleled technical skills, the candidates need to be able to perform under pressure, build relationships with chefs, industry professionals, medias, brands and sponsors from coast to coast. “We’re thrilled to once again partner with the RC Show to find Team Canada’s next stars,” says Thomas Delannoy, President CHEFS CANADA. “We look forward to seeing top national talents come together on the Garland Culinary Stage, for a chance to represent our country and shine the spotlight on the products, ingredients and flavours that make Canada unique.”
During both competitions, CHEFS CANADA will be hosting several masterclasses with some of Canada’s most noteworthy chefs and suppliers:
THE BOCUSE D’OR ADVENTURE
Since the very beginning of the competition 33 years ago, Canada has always been represented by stellar chefs. This legacy started by Jamie Kennedy gives an open door to the Bocuse d’Or Canada candidate to join a star-studded line-up that includes names such as Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud. Though Canada has not yet stepped on the podium, the organization has gained great strides over the last few years, garnering the recognition and respect of the international culinary community while shining a spotlight on our country’s restaurant industry, an important step in increasing food tourism in Canada.
THE NATIONAL PASTRY TEAM
This past July, weeks before the semi-finals in Chile, Chefs Canada announced the formation of a national pastry team for the first time in over 15 years. Though the team only had a few short months to train at the National Training Center at Montreal’s ITHQ, they ranked 5th, and won the only wild card given by the international jury. As the most prestigious stage for pastry art on the planet and the sweet counterpart of the Bocuse d’Or, the competition is a window into the latest trends and techniques, showcasing the best creative minds from around the world competing for a chance to win the title of World Pastry Champ.
ABOUT CHEFS CANADA
Devoted to inspiring culinary excellence, CHEFS CANADA has a mission to promote Canadian cuisine, terroir, producers, ingredients and products here at home as well as abroad, doing our part to create a sustainable and profitable culinary scene. Strong of a network that counts some of the country’s best chefs and top industry professionals, CHEFS CANADA works to shine the spotlight on our industry in order to further define and promote our cuisine through global competitions and partnerships. The organization is strongly rooted in their desire to unite, share and transmit our mutual expertise, techniques and savoir-faire amongst Canadian chefs but also with the next generation, creating a demand and standard for Canadian gastronomy on the world stage.
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To attend the national selection, to schedule an interview with the President of Chefs Canada or the newly elected national culinary athletes or to request high-res photos, please contact The PR Department at 416.535.3939 or [email protected]
