Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition – June 5, 2015
Juergen Bahr, Vice Chancelier Argentier Honoraire
This competition is an annual highlight for the Calgary Bailliage. It is a time in which we take stock of the state of the culinary arts in Calgary and have a look at the upcoming generation of aspiring chefs who will form the foundation of the cuisine in Calgary. It is also an event that is most dear to the continuing mission of the Chaine des Rotisseurs.
I thought the very best way to describe this day would be in the words of Jan Hansen, Vice-Conseiller Culinaire, “Another successful Jeunes Chef Rotisseurs competition is in the history books!”
I would like to thank everyone who came out yesterday to help with this year’s Jeunes Chefs competition. Personally, I felt like this year’s showing was one of the best showings I’ve seen in years! With ten young chefs this year, not only did we have two more than in past years, but the raw talent that these cooks brought made for an exciting competition. With the winning young chef coming from the Fairmont Banff Springs (yet again) it speaks volumes as to what Chef JW is doing at the hotel these days. Chef’s passion for mentoring young chefs is really something we should commend. The trophy is being engraved as we speak with Brett Stecyk’s name and the Fairmont Banff Springs, congratulations!
From the kitchen judges to the tasting judges to SAIT for finding us another kitchen to make room for all who wanted to compete, I can’t thank you all enough for your commitment to this great event.
I would like to send special thanks to Georg Windisch and Cindy Findlay for all the “behind the scenes” work they do. Without them I would be lost.
The competition had ten participants this year.
A1 | Matthew Liesmer from the Glencoe Club
A2 |Eric Auclair of Rouge Restaurant
A3 | Chelsea Bramer from the Calgary Golf and Country Club
A4 | Brandon Clemens from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
A5 | Nicholas Kennedy from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
B6 | Kilian Harding of Nash Restaurant
B7 | Aaron Blais from the Fairmont Banff Springs
B8 | Rachel Wasacase from the Ranchmans Club
B9 | Brett Stecyk from the Fairmont Banff Springs
B10 | Calder Sutton of Nash Restaurant
These competitors were to construct an appetizer, a main course and a desert with the following mandatory items contained in the Black Box.
1 whole duck
1 whole sea bream
1 whole lobster
6 garlic scapes
2 stalks of rhubarb
150 grams of fiddle heads
Non mandatory items were:
6 strawberries
1 cup of white rice
180 grams of ricotta cheese
2 Granny Smith apples
4 small kohlrabi
The young commis worked in two shifts A and B. They were judged during their work by the three kitchen judges Beat Hegnauer, Juri Guetg and Max Laphardt.
Their creations were then presented to the tasting judges who were Joe Scorgie, Mel Miners, Susan Bauerfind, Toni-Marie Ion-Brown, Rosemary Becovsky, Roger Baekeland, Craig Nazareth, Gerd Steinmeyer, Brian Diamond, Jenny Chan and Cam Dobranski.
Instead of describing the dishes we will let the photographs do them the proper justice. The plates are labeled by number.
The winner of the Jeunes Commis 2015 competition of the Calgary Bailliage of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is Brett Stecyk from the Fairmont Banff Spring Hotel in Banff, Alberta. We wish him great success in the future and would like to remind all the other competitors that this was about crafting great food and you all were excellent and will be successful in the kitchen.
Vive la Chaîne.
