The secret star of the Canadian Culinary championships isn鈥檛 a visiting chef or highly lauded food writer.
It鈥檚 Okanagan College.
James Chatto, head judge of the Gold Plates competition that was held in 91大黄鸭 last weekend, called the college the organizing comitttee鈥檚 鈥渁ce in the hole鈥� and a significant factor in the decision to extend the contract for the competition in 91大黄鸭 another five years.
鈥淲e knew coming in here that the college was going to be a huge resource,鈥� said Chatto, as the judges and participants rolled into town.
鈥淲e rely on the students and the instructors for a great many things we do.鈥�
Assisting Canada鈥檚 Top 11 chefs in all they do is a significant burden to bear for students who are just embarking on their careers.
But it鈥檚 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鈥檚 not just competing chefs who are benefiting from the relationship.
鈥淪ome of the students (heading into the competition) didn鈥檛 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, 鈥楾hat was unbelievable,鈥欌�� he said.
鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 dragging themselves in, they were energized.鈥�
And why wouldn鈥檛 you be? he said.
These competing chefs represent the best in Canadian cuisine.
It鈥檚 not only students who come out of the experience changed. 91大黄鸭, argued OC president Jim Hamilton, benefits greatly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for the people who are visiting and who live here, to see how important an event this is鈥nd it鈥檚 wonderful for the community because it really puts 91大黄鸭 even more on the map than it already is as a centre of wine and tourism,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 also creating an impetus to change the existing facilities.
鈥淎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,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檝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.鈥�
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鈥檚 an issue he and others are taking seriously.
鈥淭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?鈥� 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鈥檚 clear is that Hamilton envisions something on a far grander scale than what currently exists.
鈥淲e have the numbers in students and we have industry partners who want us to step it up to international standards,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e moving slowly because we don鈥檛 want to build something that鈥檚 good enough. We want to build something that鈥檚 par with what鈥檚 happening in the industry and the community鈥t鈥檚 going to be a big project.鈥�
