Culinary grad best in Canada

Brooke Winters, a graduate from the Culinary Arts Institute of Vancouver Island at Malaspina’s Nanaimo campus, won a gold medal as Canada’s top junior cook at the Knorr Junior Culinary Competition held in Montreal recently.

Along with the gold medal, Winters received $2,000 and a trip to Erfurt, Germany to accompany Junior Culinary Team Canada in October 2008.

Winters completed the Culinary Arts program at Malaspina in 2004 as a Career and Technical Centre student from Ladysmith Secondary School. She currently works at The Fairmont Empress in Victoria.

The KNORR Junior Culinary Competition is an annual event sponsored by Unilever Food Products. To qualify, participants must be under 25 years of age, yet to have obtained their Red Seal Trade Qualification Ticket and a member of the Canadian Culinary Federation. Provincial competitions are held every January to determine who will represent each province at the national finals. Winters was among 10 competitors.

Mandatory ingredients for this cook off included a whole pork loin, a whole salmon, fresh scallops, double smoked bacon, navy beans, leeks and green apples.

Winters’ menu included seared citrus marinated salmon, scallop and mushroom terrine, honey glazed smoked loin of pork, braised pork, bean and bacon tart, green apple napoleon and dark chocolate mousse.

Competitors are judged in two areas: they are ranked out of 50 points by three judges in the kitchen who look for skills and techniques, organization, cleanliness and professionalism. A panel of five tasting judges awards up to 90 points for flavours, presentation and temperature. The top three competitors in the Knorr competition were close but, in the end, Winters won by eight points.

“I am so proud of her,” said Ken Nakano, Executive Sous Chef at The Fairmont Empress in Victoria where Winters works. “Her work ethic, positive attitude and willingness to learn make her a pleasure to mentor.”