Every February, Ottawa turns into Canada’s culinary capital for the weekend. Chefs from across the country who have won their regional championships will converge on Ottawa Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 for the Canadian Culinary Championship (CCC) — a two-day event that includes a cocktail party and wine-pairing Friday, a black box competition Saturday morning and the grand finale that evening.
Lizardo Becerra, chef and owner of Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine on Elgin Street, will represent the Ottawa-Gatineau region. He joins a prestigious group of Ottawa winners, including chef Briana Kim, then-owner and chef at Alice, who won gold with a vegan dish. In 2019, chef Yannick Lasalle won gold; and Marc Lepine, chef-owner of Atelier, won gold in 2012 and 2016. Several Ottawa chefs have won silver as well.
“I was getting some tips from Brianna [Kim] over the weekend,” Becerra explained during a mid-December interview. Chefs can remake their winning regional dish or they can make something completely different. Becerra was weighing his options and dealing with suppliers to make sure he has enough food to feed 550 guests.
Organizer Lisa Pasin says the Grand Finale on Saturday night is always a popular draw, but adds that the other two events are equally fun and worth considering, especially given the lower ticket prices.
Things kick off Friday, Jan. 31, with the Mystery Wine Pairing event. Chefs are tasked with creating a dish using local ingredients that pair perfectly with the mystery wine, which the chefs will have tasted Thursday night. Chefs have a time limit (with no food pre-ordering) and $500 to feed 300 people. Guests love this event because they are “wowed” by the delicious dishes they taste, all inspired by the same incredible wine. It’s a stand-up cocktail reception format at the Rogers Centre that also features craft beer, cocktails and canapés. The Mystery wine is unveiled at 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $215.
The Black Box event is tailor-made for fans of Iron Chef. The chefs have to turn a black box of seven ingredients into two show-stopping dishes within one hour of receiving them. Guests watch what’s happening in the kitchen from La Cité Collégiale’s immersive theatre space, with floor-to-ceiling screens, and sample foods from market vendors.
“When guests arrive, chefs are introduced. We then take away the chef’s electronics and they wait in a holding room,” Pasin says, adding that the judges then announce the black box ingredients to the guests in attendance. “We have a commentator in the kitchen and an emcee downstairs. It gets really intense – it’s truly one of the most exciting competitions to witness!” Black Box tickets cost $95.
The Grand Finale takes place Feb. 1 at the Rogers Centre and will attract 550 guests who can sample the chefs’ finale dishes alongside the judges while multiplatinum, Juno Award-winning artist Johnny Reid and keyboardist Michael Shand perform live. At evening’s end, this year’s Canadian Culinary Champion is crowned.
The national event presented by MNP with a host of national, regional and local sponsors supports several charities, including MusiCounts, which gets musical instruments into schools across Canada; and Spirit North, which supports Indigenous youth through sport and play. The CCC also supports BGC Ottawa and the Ottawa Network for Education. To date, the project has raised over $19 million for its charities.
For additional information and to buy tickets – https://greatkitchenparty.com/ca/culinary-championship/
