The secret star of the Canadian Culinary championships isn乌鸦传媒檛 a visiting chef or highly lauded food writer.
It乌鸦传媒檚 Okanagan College.
James Chatto, head judge of the Gold Plates competition that was held in Kelowna last weekend, called the college the organizing comitttee乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渁ce in the hole乌鸦传媒� and a significant factor in the decision to extend the contract for the competition in Kelowna another five years.
乌鸦传媒淲e knew coming in here that the college was going to be a huge resource,乌鸦传媒� said Chatto, as the judges and participants rolled into town.
乌鸦传媒淲e rely on the students and the instructors for a great many things we do.乌鸦传媒�
Assisting Canada乌鸦传媒檚 Top 11 chefs in all they do is a significant burden to bear for students who are just embarking on their careers.
But it乌鸦传媒檚 one they rise to over and over again.
OC culinary manager, chef Bernard Casavant, has been leading the students to the heart of the competition for the last two years, and he said it乌鸦传媒檚 not just competing chefs who are benefiting from the relationship.
乌鸦传媒淪ome of the students (heading into the competition) didn乌鸦传媒檛 understand why they were being asked to do this, but (Friday) night, they worked until 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. and the next day they rushed early in saying, 乌鸦传媒楾hat was unbelievable,乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 he said.
乌鸦传媒淭hey weren乌鸦传媒檛 dragging themselves in, they were energized.乌鸦传媒�
And why wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 you be? he said.
These competing chefs represent the best in Canadian cuisine.
It乌鸦传媒檚 not only students who come out of the experience changed. Kelowna, argued OC president Jim Hamilton, benefits greatly.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a great opportunity for the people who are visiting and who live here, to see how important an event this is乌鸦传媒nd it乌鸦传媒檚 wonderful for the community because it really puts Kelowna even more on the map than it already is as a centre of wine and tourism,乌鸦传媒� he said.
It乌鸦传媒檚 also creating an impetus to change the existing facilities.
乌鸦传媒淎n event of this magnitude adds credibility to the argument some of us are making that this is the new stage and the new phase of what needs to be here in the valley,乌鸦传媒� he said.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e run a few new programs and we continue to put a lot of emphasis on (culinary arts). The biggest challenge for us now is one of place.乌鸦传媒�
Pointing to the facility being used by the competing chefs for the black box competition, Hamilton said that things are getting a bit crowded and that乌鸦传媒檚 an issue he and others are taking seriously.
乌鸦传媒淭his morning I was involved in a meeting where we looked at what does that next step look like? and how do we make it happen?乌鸦传媒� he said.
They already know it will take money and a physical space, but what, how and when it comes together remains to be seen.
What乌鸦传媒檚 clear is that Hamilton envisions something on a far grander scale than what currently exists.
乌鸦传媒淲e have the numbers in students and we have industry partners who want us to step it up to international standards,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut we乌鸦传媒檙e moving slowly because we don乌鸦传媒檛 want to build something that乌鸦传媒檚 good enough. We want to build something that乌鸦传媒檚 par with what乌鸦传媒檚 happening in the industry and the community乌鸦传媒t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be a big project.乌鸦传媒�
