VERONA, N.Y. — A five-student Canadian chef team from Barrie, Ont.’s Muskoka & District Chef’s Association (MDCA) Junior Chapter challenged eight teams from the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Northeastern Region in the prestigious Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl competition.
Led by David Jones CCC, MDCA president and chef/teacher, the junior team scored well in the first two rounds of an up-to-nine-round event, with a 170-point lead in the first round and a 140-point gain in the second round.
The Jeopardy-style 20-question rounds included challenging culinary, baking, nutrition, sanitation, senory and math questions as well as hidden pictures. Each ACF region will send its winner to compete at the ACF National Conference in Las Vegas in July.
The Muskoka team consists of students from Barrie’s Georgian College, including: Kendall Fullerton, Zack Lampert, Anna Chidiac, Rob Burlington and Jeremy Weir. This is the second time a Canadian team has challenged in the event, which was initiated last year in Niagara Falls, N.Y. One of the Canadians involved in securing cross-border participation is Samuel Glass, chef/professor at Toronto’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture at Centennial College. Glass served as one of three judges/referees in this year’s completion.
Lori Weber, the ACF’s director of Education and Professional Development, was enthusiastic about the cross-border participation. “We’sre thrilled to have a Canadian team participate and to see them doing so well,” she told Foodservice and Hospitality magazine. “We welcome the interest, which reinforces the importance of culinary education in every aspect of a chef’s responsibility and knowledge.”
Event results will be announced at the Regional Awards Gala Dinner tomorrow, the last day of the 2013 ACF Northeast Regional Conference being held at Turnings Stone Resort near Syracuse, N.Y.
