TORONTO — The winners of the Elles Sont Food, and You? competition were announced recently during an awards ceremony and cocktail party at Ryerson University. The first annual Franco-Ontario competition for women was organized by Toronto’s French Consulate, in partnership with the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, in an effort to showcase culinary excellence by providing entrants with the opportunity to create the best cocktail foods possible.
The five winning female chefs competed in the following categories: fish, meat, cheese, culinary herbs and chocolate. Zoe Rousseau won the fish category with her Tuna Gravalax with maple, horseradish cream, lime caviar and rice cracker. Meagan Bowden won the meat category with her Cacao & Chicken Liver Amore, as well as the cheese category with her Devil’s Blue Brioche. Jennifer McConnell won the culinary-herbs category with her creatively named Tipsy Boucheron Lumberjack. And, the chocolate category was won by Michel Lenhardt, whose entry, called “Chocolate C’est Bon,” featured a chocolate cheesecake using goat cheese.
Among the sponsors of the competition were the France Canada Chamber of Commerce, Sodexo, Restaurants Canada, Bocuse d’Or, Ducasse Education, Cacao Barry, Rougie Foie Gras, S. Pellegrino, Charton Hobbs, Caudalie and Bon AppetEat.
The contest was announced earlier this year at a gathering held on International Women’s Day in an effort by the French government to recognize female chefs. Through this competition, the Consulate General of France in Toronto aims to promote women chefs and entrepreneurs by providing them with the opportunity to express their culinary talent.
