Canada's Top Chefs Battle at Hilton Whistler Resort
Coveted Title Of Canada's Culinary Champion
JANUARY 29, 2007. Seven of the nation's leading chefs face the ultimate test of their culinary skills in Whistler during the Canadian Culinary Championships, February 1-3, 2007, at the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.
With seven major cities having chosen their top chef through the Gold Medal Plates' (www.goldmedalplates.com) celebration of excellence for Olympic and Paralympic athletes this past fall, the competition now rises to a new level. All seven of the gold medal-winning chefs have now been invited to compete against one another.
Through a series of three grueling trials, each chef will be challenged to use their creative and culinary skills to overcome the competition. The winner will be crowned the Canadian Culinary Champion, and awarded a trip to the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008.
The finalists are:
Halifax: Ray Bear, Gio
Winnipeg: Makoto Ono, Gluttons
Edmonton: Michael Brown, Westin
Toronto: Mark McEwan, North 44
Vancouver: Robert Clark, C
Ottawa: Michael Blackie, Brookstreet
Calgary: Michael Lyon, Giorgio's Trattoria, Banff
Over the three days of competitions and special events, guests will have the opportunity to meet the chefs and to mingle with Whistler's featured athletes: Gold Medallist Ross Rebagliati (snow boarding), and Bronze Medalist and Crazy Canuck, Steve Podborski (alpine) as well as Paul Rosen, ice sledge hockey goalie who won gold at the Torino Paralympic Games.
Whistler's reputation as an epicurean hot spot and its designation as co-host of the 2010 Winter Games made the resort a natural choice for the Gold Medal Plate organizers. "The commitment, dedication and sacrifice of the chefs is very similar to those same traits of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes", said Stephen Leckie, founder and spokesperson for the Gold Medal Plates. "Plus the tremendous range of fine restaurants in Whistler made this an easy choice - our guests can explore the village and sample some of the amazing, award-winning establishments."
A limited number of tickets are available for the Grand Finale Event. Tickets are $300 plus GST per person. Contact Matt Ray at 416-646-2751 or whistler@goldmedalplates.com.
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