TORONTO — Chef Erica Karbelnik will represent Canada in the Sixth World Tapas Competition in Valladolid, Spain on November 9, pitting her skills against 15 of the world’s best chefs.
Using 40-day aged beef fat from Alberta, duck liver from Quebec, berries from Saskatoon, hazelnuts from British Columbia and real Canadian maple syrup, Karbelnik will create a “Winter Solstice” tapa inspired by the Tim Horton’s Timbit.
Karbelnik started cooking professionally at age 17, working as an apprentice under chef Mark McEwan at ONE Restaurant, which led to a full-time position. Since then, she has gone back and forth from Toronto to Vancouver, working alongside some of Canada’s most recognized chefs and training in French-Italian cuisine and specializing in handmade pasta. Most recently, she competed alongside her husband and chef, Josh Karbelnik, in Food Network Canada’s Top Chef Canada, where she took home the title and grand prize. Next year, Karbelnik will open a new restaurant.
“When applying for the Sixth World Tapas Competition, I wanted to create a tapa that truly captures what it means to be Canadian,” says Karbelnik. “Two things came to mind immediately, Canadian winters and Tim Hortons. So, I decided to combine the two and tell the story of Canada in one delicious bite.”
