Five chefs will enter, but only one can earn the opportunity to compete on a national stage.
On Sept. 26, the Hotel Wingate in Dieppe will host Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, a culinary clash and celebration of Canadian culture.
Since 2018, chefs from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have gathered to showcase their skills and creativity, as well as a chance to compete in the Canadian Culinary Championship.
The event’s co-chair said similar have been held across the country for the last 19 years, but it took some work to get an event in New Brunswick.
“We reached out to the national team and we convinced them that our chefs and the culinary industry in New Brunswick and in P.E.I. could be at par with any regions of the country,” Ben Champoux said.
In 2018, the Moncton group got the green light to host the first event in the region.
To say it was successful may be an understatement.
“We stole the show,” Champoux said.
That first event was held at the Avenir Centre in downtown Moncton, and Champoux said the competitors showed immediately they could match up with any chef in Canada.
If any further proof was needed, it was provided at the most recent national event. Chef Jordan Holden of Dieppe’s Atelier Tony won last year’s event, then travelled to Ottawa in January and finished second.
Chef Jordan Holden, left, finished second at the Canadian Culinary Championship in January. Holden was the victor at Canada’s Great Kitchen Party in Moncton last year. A new champ will be crowned Sept. 26. Image: Submitted
“He was the runner-up as the best of the best in the country,” Champoux said.
Chef Holden isn’t competing this year, but he will be at the event, serving an appetizer to the guests.
Kitchen stars from across the region
Another chef from Atelier Tony will be participating in this year’s contest. Chef Niguel De Leon was runner-up to Holden last year, and is back for another shot at culinary glory.
De Leon was born and raised in the Philippines, before moving to the United States after college to pursue cooking.
He’ll be joined by Chef Jonathan Morrison, the owner and founder of Lost & Found Ice Cream in Moncton. He attended the culinary program at NBCC and has worked at several celebrated restaurants across Canada.
Chef Jacob Ward, chef de cuisine at Tony’s Bistro & Pâtisserie in Moncton, started out as a dishwasher in 2018, and has risen to his current role. He brings a high level of creativity to his craft, but still enjoys the simple things, like a good pizza after service.
Two chefs from P.E.I. are also participating.
Chef Jamie Power is a multi-award-winning chef from Charlottetown. With more than 20 years experience, Power is known for bringing an international flair to traditional Island dishes by using local ingredients in his dishes.
Chef Lucy Morrow, also of Charlottetown, may be familiar to fans of Top Chef Canada, where she was runner-up on season 8. She’s worked in five provinces, and now leads as chef at the Brickhouse Kitchen & Bar in Charlottetown.
The competition will be judged by a panel of culinary experts, led by Chef Emmanuel Charretier, an instructor in NBCC’s culinary program at the Moncton campus. Guests will also vote for the people’s choice winner.
Champoux said NBCC will also be represented by students in the culinary program, who will prepare an amuse-bouche for the guests. Additionally, the Culinary Federation of New Brunswick will prepare another amuse-bouche.
Not only food on the menu
No kitchen party would be complete without music, and this event is no exception.
Champoux said entertainment will be provided by Jarvis Church, frontman for Canadian R&B group The Philosopher Kings.
But the musical element of the evening goes far beyond a performance by Church.
Champoux said Canada’s Great Kitchen Party goes beyond celebrating Canadian culture and excellence, but includes supporting national not-for-profit organizations that focus on giving youth access to healthy food, and musical instruments.
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“In our case here in Moncton, for years we’ve been supporting MusiCounts,” he said. “Every year through the profits that we make at this event, a school in the region benefits with brand new instruments.”
MusiCounts is a Canadian music education charity associated with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Juno Awards.
This year’s recipient will be l’École Donat-Robichaud in Cap-Pelé. Champoux said the instruments for the students will be purchased thanks to the money raised at last year’s event.
