Vancouver chef wins national culinary competition in Kelowna

KELOWNA – The new Canadian Culinary Champion lifted the trophy high above his head while standing between the second and third-place winners at the Delta Grand Okanagan Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 3.

Chef Alex Chen of Vancouver's Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar took the gold medal for pairing a wine with his best dish; parfait of Wild BC Shellfish, “chowder” northern divine caviar, bulls kelp “brioche” served with Sea Star 2016 Ortega from Pender Island, B.C.

“I feel great, I feel redeemed. We put in a lot of work this weekend and it worked out to be favourable for us. This feels so great for us," Chen says in the release.

Along with bragging rights his prize is a trip to Africa or South America where he has the chance to work with the chef at a Cacao Barry plantation.

Sporting the silver medal was Chef Eric Gonzalez from L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Montreal, Quebec. He placed with his pairing of foie gras and Alberta bison loin and haskap – blackberry puree, butternut squash and truffle with Painted Rock 2013 Syrah from the Okanagan Valley. 

The bronze went to Chef Barry Mooney from Gio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Chef Mooney served Smoked Pork Consomme – Ham hock terrine, scallop, foie gras mousse, pickled carrot, haskap gelee, spiced tuile paired with Benjamin Bridge NV Brut Rose from Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia.

Three competitions were held over the two-day event. Eleven chefs from across Canada were competing for the top spot at the 12th annual Canadian Culinary Championship.

The first competition was a mystery wine competition won by Chef Mike Robins from Sous Sol in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Next was the "Black Box" competition where participants had one hour to prepare a dish from seven mystery ingredients.

The grand finale was sold-out. Iconic Canadian rock band 50-40 closed off the evening with a concert. 

This event is also a fundraiser for Canadian Olympians. Ten athletes were in attendance including Ashleigh McIvor and Lucas Makowsky. 

The Canadian Culinary Championship is expected to be held in Kelowna until the year 2020.

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