Canadian Culinary Championships Ottawa February 2024
Western Sweep 2024, by Mary Bailey
There was delicious food and wine, chef camaraderie and not much sleep at the 2024 Canadian Culinary Championships (CCC) held in Ottawa in February. The annual event gathers 10 chefs (the winners of regional Kitchen Parties) in a gruelling three-day competition—Mystery Wine Challenge, the Black Box and the Grande Finale. The CCC provides an opportunity for chefs from across the country to make lasting friendships, building a network of chefs and Canadian cuisine from coast to coast. It also showcases some of Canada’s best wines and raises funds for Spirit North and MusiCounts nationally and, in Ottawa, the Boys and Girls Club and the Ottawa Network for Education. Congratulations chefs!
Gold
Chef Jasper Cruickshank
Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar, Whistler, British Columbia.
Wine Pairing Grand Finale:
2021 Roche Tradition Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, British Columbia.
Elegance, balance and ineffable finesse are the hallmarks of Jasper’s cooking. His Mystery Wine and Black Box dishes each demonstrated innovation and superb control, seamlessly marrying modern and classic techniques. Yet the BC chef’s Grand Finale dish is what truly locked down the championship. It was, in a word, sublime.
Jasper’s Wild BC Experience was an ethereal, heartfelt expression of reverence for the west coast’s rich seafood bounty. Texturally playful, it highlighted the natural sweetness of sidestripe shrimp terrine with the light acidity of verjus-pickled tapioca, alongside a crisp leek-wakame tuile and a daikon parcel filled with leek purée. A Dungeness crab tartlet completed the trifecta, topped with crab espuma and masago rice pearls. The immaculate geoduck reduction was the finishing master stroke. Chef’s pairing of Roche 2021 Tradition Pinot Gris was exceptional, its minerality and subtle almond notes impeccably complementing the oceanic flavours of his dish.
“Winning this competition solidified that the hard work, dedication, and perseverance was worth it,” Jasper reflects. As for what lies ahead? “I take this as a stepping stone. I’ve been cooking for 17 years now, and still have only scratched the surface of what’s possible.”
- Joie Alvaro Kent, British Columbia Judge