VANCOUVER — Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar chef Alex Chen will represent B.C. at the upcoming Canadian Culinary Championships in February, after taking home the gold award last week at Victoria, B.C.’s Gold Medal Plates regional heat.
“I am extremely honoured, humbled and grateful to accept this award, but this is by no means an individual achievement,” said Chen, whose winning dish paired local heritage warm pork terrine with ‘head to tail’ chestnuts, foie gras, Perigord truffles and umami jus with Foxtrot Vineyards’ 2012 Henricsson Vineyard Pinot Noir from Naramata, B.C. “The real credit goes to an incredible Boulevard team that helped prepare and plate more than 400 dishes for this event. It was truly an entire team effort and we all share in this win.”
Chris Whittaker, executive chef at Forage, won silver and Ned Bell, executive chef at Yew Seafood + Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, took home bronze. “The top four [chefs] were very close,” said head judge James Chatto, who was joined by judges Sid Cross, Andrew Morrison, Gary Hynes, Sinclair Philip, Shelora Sheldan and Kristian Eligh. Dishes were graded on visual presentation, texture, taste, wine compatibility, originality and the ‘wow factor.’
The Canadian Culinary Championships will be held in Kelowna, B.C. from Feb. 5 to 6, 2016.
