VANCOUVER — Leah Patitucci, from Kelowna’s Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, has won the gold medal and the Fulgence Charpentier Trophy at the 2021 Canadian National La Chaîne de Rôtisseurs Jeunes Chefs (Young Chefs) Competition, held in Winnipeg on Oct. 23, 2021. Now, Patitucci will represent Canada at the 2022 Concours International de Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs to be held in Mexico.
“It’s such an honour to be able to represent Canada on the world stage,” says Patitucci. “I’m so thankful for the incredible support network of industry professionals who have given their time and efforts to allow me to achieve success and who continue to push me to learn new things every day.”
Patitucci has no shortage of accomplishments. She first entered a professional kitchen while still in high school at Vancouver’s Hawksworth Restaurant as an apprentice cook. Over the years, she has worked towards earning her Red Seal from Vancouver Community College while working at culinary establishments such as Temper Chocolate and Pastries and The Pear Tree restaurants. Patitucci is currently the captain of Culinary Youth Team Canada, and most recently participated in the 2020 Culinary Olympics. In 2019, she finished first in the Skills Canada World Selection event and then finished 13th in the Skills Worlds Competition.
The national Canadian Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs competition is open to young cooks under the age of 27 and sponsored by Wüsthof Knives, Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar Inc. and Uniglobe Lexus Travel. Four contestants from across Canada were given four hours to compose a menu and prepare three-course meal (appetizer, main course and dessert) using ingredients presented in a black box, containing Cornish game hen, foie gras, one whole trout, scallop, Portobello mushrooms, soybean, jalapeno, blueberries, mascarpone and ruby chocolate. Contestants were then judged on taste, originality, creativity, presentation, portion size, nutrition, dress, kitchen cleanliness and timing.
