February 12, 2011 - 8:02pm
Four students from Vancouver Island University showcased their award-winning culinary arts skills at the 15th annual BC Chefs Hot Competition LIVE! in Vancouver recently.
Students James Hannah, Alex Formosa, Carlos Cordeiro De Mello Neto and Adriana Purdie brought home a Grand Gold medal, two silver medals and a bronze medal respectively. As the overall winner, Hannah received $500.
“It was a fantastic event with great results for VIU,” said Chef Debbie Shore, who escorted the students to the competition. “The students were amazing. We’re incredibly proud of how they handled themselves under pressure.”
Students enrolled in culinary arts programs from institutions throughout BC participated in the competition. They knew weeks in advance that they had to create a main dish with albacore tuna. They had 30 minutes during the competition to demonstrate their creative and artistic flare.
“This is one of the most disciplined groups of students we’ve ever had in the culinary program,” said Chef Craig Rogers. “They practiced for two and a half months, four days a week over and above attending their regular classes. They demonstrated total dedication.”
“It was definitely a nerve-wracking experience but a great one at the same time,” said Hannah, the Grand Gold winner.
“Cameras filming as we competed and having to conduct interviews in the middle of the competition distracted me a little bit,” added Formosa.
Purdie faced the added stress of having to compete in the first event, as her classmates and instructors silently cheered her on from the sidelines. “It was a huge event, a convention for people who work in the food and hospitality sector,” she explained. “There were at least a couple thousand people in attendance, milling around and watching us compete.”
For De Mello Neto, who came to Nanaimo from Brazil specifically to take VIU’s Culinary Arts program, the tight time limit was the toughest part of the competition. “To create a main dish within 30 minutes and have five judges watching every step of the way is tough, but a great learning opportunity,” he said.
The medal winners are completing the one-year Culinary Arts certificate program at VIU. Some have already lined up jobs once they graduate. Hannah will soon be cooking up a storm in a camp setting in the Yukon before heading to Victoria to work at the Empress hotel. De Mello Neto will be heading to Vancouver to work as a line cook at Il Giardino di Umberto. He plans to return to VIU next year to complete the diploma program.
Tags: In the Community
