We were not sure what to expect when heading to Ottawa on Sunday (March
25, 2012) for the 2nd Annual Celebrity Chefs of Canada event at the National
Arts Centre (NAC). We accidentally found the event online and did a double take
because we could not believe the amazing line up of Chefs was for real. After
attending the event it is official, we have been blown away and buzzing ever
since. In fact, we are finding it hard to do this event justice with our blog
post because there is just too much to say about this incredible day of
Canadian food, Chefs and wine.
This all-star Canadian culinary celebration was organized by the NAC's Executive Chef Michael Blackie. During the evening reception we noticed Chef Blackie's portrait on the wall. What struck us is that the Chef is part of the NAC's artistic leadership team. As Chef Ned Bell said during his cooking demo, "we [Chefs] are artists, culinary artists." In the context of this event at the NAC, nothing could be truer when we say that this event is about recognizing these artists and their medium.
Celebrity Chefs are indeed a hot commodity these days, the new rock stars, or at the NAC, that often plays host to classical musicians, should the term be culinary maestros? The event could easily be described as a symphony of flavours. Given the day's roster included Susur Lee, Vikram Vij, and Lynn Crawford, this event is definitely one hot ticket. Consider the facts, the afternoon cooking demos attracted close to 350 people. An additional 400 guests came for the evening reception where we spotted Laureen Harper (wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper) who, from what we could tell, was waiting in line to get a copy of Lynn Crawford's book signed. Over 750 guests, on a Sunday night in Ottawa for an evening of food and drinks...wow! The numbers alone demonstrate the drawing power with the cult of the Chef.
It is also worth noting that it is no small feat in smoothly serving 750 people during a 3 and half hour cocktail reception. To give you an idea, Chefs Larkin and Bell used just over 100 pounds of tuna for their service. Chef Santaguida mentioned making 960 raviolis. Chefs were assisted by members of their brigades but also Ottawa culinary students who helped keep the lines moving. Catering staff also did a great job in clearing empty plates off tables and keeping the reception running smooth.Besides highlighting Canada's culinary stars the event showcases Ottawa's food scene, more smart planning, by pairing a local Chef with a Canadian Chef in the creation of a single dish during the cooking demos. Besides being extremely educational, the demos gave us the chance to watch and be inspired by these talented individuals and their craft. Based on the comments made by the Chefs the distance between them meant their collaborative dishes were created over the telephone prior to the event. Also of particular interest was watching two Chefs plate the same dish. Same dish, same ingredients, different platings or creations. The chance to taste these creations during the reception that followed the demos was just pure gravy.
This all-star Canadian culinary celebration was organized by the NAC's Executive Chef Michael Blackie. During the evening reception we noticed Chef Blackie's portrait on the wall. What struck us is that the Chef is part of the NAC's artistic leadership team. As Chef Ned Bell said during his cooking demo, "we [Chefs] are artists, culinary artists." In the context of this event at the NAC, nothing could be truer when we say that this event is about recognizing these artists and their medium.
Celebrity Chefs are indeed a hot commodity these days, the new rock stars, or at the NAC, that often plays host to classical musicians, should the term be culinary maestros? The event could easily be described as a symphony of flavours. Given the day's roster included Susur Lee, Vikram Vij, and Lynn Crawford, this event is definitely one hot ticket. Consider the facts, the afternoon cooking demos attracted close to 350 people. An additional 400 guests came for the evening reception where we spotted Laureen Harper (wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper) who, from what we could tell, was waiting in line to get a copy of Lynn Crawford's book signed. Over 750 guests, on a Sunday night in Ottawa for an evening of food and drinks...wow! The numbers alone demonstrate the drawing power with the cult of the Chef.
It is also worth noting that it is no small feat in smoothly serving 750 people during a 3 and half hour cocktail reception. To give you an idea, Chefs Larkin and Bell used just over 100 pounds of tuna for their service. Chef Santaguida mentioned making 960 raviolis. Chefs were assisted by members of their brigades but also Ottawa culinary students who helped keep the lines moving. Catering staff also did a great job in clearing empty plates off tables and keeping the reception running smooth.Besides highlighting Canada's culinary stars the event showcases Ottawa's food scene, more smart planning, by pairing a local Chef with a Canadian Chef in the creation of a single dish during the cooking demos. Besides being extremely educational, the demos gave us the chance to watch and be inspired by these talented individuals and their craft. Based on the comments made by the Chefs the distance between them meant their collaborative dishes were created over the telephone prior to the event. Also of particular interest was watching two Chefs plate the same dish. Same dish, same ingredients, different platings or creations. The chance to taste these creations during the reception that followed the demos was just pure gravy.
Is it art? Citrus marinated BC geoduck with ocean emulsion |
Chefs Quanq Dang (left) and Marc Lepine |
Chef Patricia Larkin from Black Cat Bistro (Ottawa) and Chef Ned Bell
from The Four Seasons Hotel (Vancouver) was the next pairing. We know that this
is not a competition but Chef Bell is an extremely charismatic and entertaining
chef to watch who obviously works at it based on his trademark blue shoes. If
you are looking to book a high energy Chef for a cooking presentation Chef Bell
delivers. This high energy and enthusiasm comes from his obvious passion and
love of his craft and food. How many people can work a room talking about their
signature can of tuna? After watching Bell plate his dish it is also obvious that
he is an extremely talented Chef. Not to be outdone Chef Larkin, who could just
sit back and let Bell charm the crowd, also plated a beautiful dish that
garnished praise from Chef Bell. The two Chefs served Albacore Tuna Tartare,
Pickled Shallot Cucumber and Radish Red Miso and Lemon Vinaigrette, Black and
White Sesame Praline. Chef Bell confessed his love of pickles during his demo.
We see this trend as emanating from Korean and Vietnamese food or is it David
Chang? As Korean food is one of our favourite cuisines we are thrilled to see
this influence jumping into other styles of cooking. The Chefs described the
sesame praline as being like those cookies you eat as a kid. We loved how the
praline added a sweet crunchy garnish to the tuna. The presentation and serving
of the tuna in a can during the reception was a nice touch.
Tuna tartare, pickled shallot, cucumber and radish with sesame praline |
Next on the bill, Cesare Santaguida from Vittoria Trattoria (Ottawa) and
Vikram Vij (Vancouver). The pair served up Encrusted Lamb Lollipops with
Butternut Ravioli. The dish was finished with a curry sauce and we were very
disappointed to find out when we got home that it was not included in the
recipe section of the event program. The main reason for our major
disappointment with this omission is that the curry sauce was so damn delicious.
We are glad the Chefs had prepared extra portions, "just in case,"
because we did go back for a second helping of this dish. We have eaten a lot
of curry, we have cooked a lot of curry, we even use a mortar and a pestle to
make our own curry powder but we have never tasted such a great tasting curry
in our lives. Vij's reputation as a Curry King is obviously well deserved. We
could have drank a cup of this sauce it was really that good. The kitchen staff
happily gave us extra sauce with our second helping when we praised it's
flavors. Light, creamy and a delicate curry taste, the sauce brought together
the lamb and ravioli in a perfect balance. The dish was finished with a
gremolata and was just another great touch to an already superbly flavored
dish. If you think about it the individual components themselves are great
tasting items, lamb and butternut squash that are only helped with a great
sauce and garnish. What we also liked about the Chefs' creation was the way it
showed Canadian style by reflecting our cultural mosaic, Indian and Italian
cultures together.
Canadian Curry King Vikram Vij |
Next up was a solo act Patrick McMurray who offered us ShuckerPaddy's
Hogtown chowder. McMurray was assisted by Chef Blackie who used chilli threads as
a garnish for the dish. We mention this because we have never seen this
ingredient before. The threads look like long threads of saffron and are a
beautiful way of finishing a dish. McMurray has made a name for himself as a
professional oyster shucker and is the Guinness world record holder for most
oysters shucked in one minute with 38 oysters. There was a pause in the demos
where we were treated to a serving of Murray's chowder. The fried oysters in
the chowder make for some great bites because who does not like eating fried
foods? Almost as impressive as shucking 38 oysters in one minute was the
serving of over 300 portions of chowder during a 20 minute coffee break. The
chance to eat a bite food after the cooking demos was very welcome because we
simply cannot begin to describe the effects on your appetite of sitting in a
room full of delicious aromas. We often found ourselves just closing our eyes and taking
in the smell of the food during the demos.
ShuckerPaddy's hogtown chowder |
The demos resumed with Susur Lee and Matthew Carmichael from Restaurant
18 (Ottawa). Chef Carmichael has worked under Susur Lee and it was interesting
seeing the reunited pair working together. The Chefs prepared "Chorizo
Style" St. Canut Suckling Pig, Parmesan Crusted Fennel Lobster Salad -
Saffron Mayonnaise. The two Chefs stood at opposite ends of the counter, each
plating their dish. You could sense the mutual
admiration the two Chefs have for one another with Lee earning a bit of awe
or inspiration from Carmichael as they reminisced about their time together. During his demo,
Susur Lee came across as very quiet, and extremely focused. The lack of
talking combined with attention to his work meant that Lee finished his dish in record
time. Both Chefs plated what must have been the prettiest plates of all the cooking the
demos.
1,2,3... Look at Susur Lee |
Next up, the 2 Jasons, Chef Duffy from Arc Lounge (Ottawa) and Chef
Bangerter from Luma (Toronto) with their offering of Braised Elk Ribs, Creamy
Polenta, Tasty Crispy bits. We are a bit biased with this dish because we love
elk meat. We happen to know a great provider of wapiti in Dunham and have
enjoyed their elk tourtière on numerous occasions. The Chefs topped their dish
in a great way with their Tasty Crispy Bits. Duck fat (we love it) is heated in
a pan and ten you grab your bits around the kitchen, sliced garlic, thyme
leaves, bits of torn bread, macadamia nuts... A great way of finishing just
about any dish.
Braised elk ribs, creamy polenta, tasty crispy bits |
Jonathan Korecki from Side Door (Ottawa) and Jeremy Charles from
Raymonds (Newfoundland). Chef Korecki is a recognizable face right now, the
bandana sporting Chef is competing on the current season of Top Chef Canada. We
ate lunch at Korecki's resto on Monday after the NAC event as part of our Top
Chef Canada research. We were obviously in good company, we spotted Chefs Dang
and Bell enjoying the food at Side Door when we walked in. The team of Korecki
and Charles however get our villain of the show award because they served Wild
Newfoundland Rabbit: Crispy Rabbit Ravioli, Rabbit Liver Mousse and Rabbit
Terrine "Presse." Chef Charles mentioned he used 40 wild rabbits for
the event. Remember our rule no rabbit or eating your bloggers (fans). Showing
the wild rabbit to the audience we were struck with the difference of the flesh
color when compared to the farmed rabbits you might find at your grocery store
or butcher. The meat of the wild rabbits were a deep burgundy as opposed to the
pale white flesh of the farmed variety. We do have to hand it to the Chefs for
making a dish that uses all the parts of the animal with little waste. The
chance to eat any animal that has not been raised under dubious conditions,
especially rabbit. Korecki, like Chef Bell, is another fan of pickles, he has
24 kinds at his restaurant and they were used in finishing the dish. The two
Chefs also presented the nicest looking dish of the reception using a cedar
plank for the plating withwhite pine sprig for visual effect. The plating reminded
us a lot of a Group of 7 landscape and it does not get much more Canadian, or artistic, than
that.
Villains? Chef Jonathan Korecki and Chef Jeremy Charles |
The |
Chef Clifford Lyness from Brookstreet (Ottawa) and Chef Jason
Parsons from Peller Estates Winery (Niagara on the Lake) served
up another one of our favorite food items, duck, with their Smoked Sous Vide
Magret - Confit Leg. Chef Parsons caused us to have lots of envy with his
cooking gadgets. Not to deter from the dish, the smoked and confit duck is the
perfect example how simple foods when cooked to perfection are always a winner.
Of course for the sous-vide a thermocirculator was used but Chef Parsons also
had the coolest smoker that we have ever seen. Some of you might be familiar
with the gadget because from what we could tell it seemed to work like a
vaporizer. Remember we are talking about smoking here. The device, called a
smoking gun, produces a enormous amount of smoke from a few wood chips or
essential oil. The smoke is kept under wraps in a cloche with the food,
infusing it with flavor. We have used a Cameron stovetop smoker at home for
years and we love cooking with it in the kitchen and on the BBQ. Once you have
smoked your own salmon at home there is no going back. The one drawback of the
Cameron smoker in your kitchen is that it smokes up the house a lot so the the
smoking gun system does look like a great way of smoking your food.
Smoked duck sous vide |
During the reception the company that sells the smoking gun had a table
featuring some of their wares. Testek, a Québec company located in Delson,
specializes in molecular gastronomy tools and supplies. Ever wanted to pump
some spaghetti? Well now you know where to get it. In addition to a bunch of
kitchen equipment that looks like it belongs in Tesla's laboratory we found the catalog to contain some of the coolest looking serving dishes, utensils,
verrines, cardboard slider boxes, miniature coca-cola style bottles etc. If you
are in the catering business it is definitely worth your while to check out
Testek's line of products. These are wow factor presentation pieces that will
definitely impress your clients. Take for example the dryspoon, hollow glass
spoons that allow you to place a liquid inside (wine) and solid on top
(cheese).
Designer Dishes & Toys from Testek |
Our final pairing of Chefs, Michael Blackie, Executive Chef at the
National Arts Centre (Ottawa) and Lynn Crawford from Ruby Watchco (Toronto).
Chef Crawford is one of the most recognizable Chefs in Canada because of her
television work but it is a very different experience to see her in person. We
said earlier that Chef Ned Bell was high energy and entertaining during his
presentation well he has got nothing on Chef Lynn Crawford who is like a
lightning bolt. Given her energy and enthusiasm, not to mention
bitchin' kitchen chops, it is no wonder she has carved out a successful career
as Chef and television star. With Crawford working the crowd and running around
we almost felt sorry for Chef Blackie who seemed to be trying to keep things on
track because they did have to prepare a dish after all. Despite being a blur
on stage Crawford impressed us by inviting a 16-year-old volunteer for the
event, and budding Chef, to cook with her on stage. The Chefs dish Was Seed to
Sausage Double Smoked Bacon - Duck - Cranberries - Mimolette Gnocchi. Another
excellent dish because we love duck but the mimolette (cheese) sage gnocchi was a
real standout amongst all the dishes served during the reception.
Lynn Crawford with Chef-in-training |
Not to be overlooked the reception featured wine pairings from Ontario
vintners. Allow us to take this moment to lament the fact the the Société des
Alcools de Québec (SAQ) is really weak in the Ontario wine department because
these were quality products. We had a bit of trouble juggling, or enjoying, our
glasses of wine and plates food to take proper notes. A handout, or
including this information in the program, would have been nice because us
Québécois would really like to know the names of the wines that were matched
with the food. We did grab a few business cards and brochures from a few of the
vineyards that included Diamond Winery, Lailey vineyard, Pelee Island winery,
Peller Estates and Norman Hardie. One product that is really worth mentioning
was from The Spearhead brewing company who featured their Hawaiian style pale
ale brewed with pineapple. The pineapple is subtle, just a bouquet on the nose,
and makes for a delicious crisp, satisfying beer that is unlike any we have
ever tasted. The tropical notes pair really well with food but sadly for us in
Québec this is yet another product that is not available in La Belle Province.
Chefs Blackie & Crawford: Duck sausage with mimolette gnocchi |
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