BASEL, SWITZERLAND — Culinary Team Canada won a gold medal in the cold kitchen at the 2013 Salon Culinaire Mondail, held recently in Basel, Switzerland, although the victory was not enough to propel the Canadian Culinary Federation team into finishing as one of the top three finalists in the competition. The winners were the Hong Kong national team in first place, followed by the Switzerland national team and the Singapore national team in second and third, respectively.
The six-member teams in the Basel competition prepared and served a hot three-course menu (first course, main course and dessert) for 110 people. The Basel competition is considered to be the first of three preliminary contests leading to the WACS World Culinary Olympics, held every four years in Erfurt, Germany.The Culinary Team Canada members were: John Carlo Felicella (manager), culinary arts department head, Vancouver Community College; Hamid Salamian (team captain), instructor, Vancouver Community College; Cameron Huley, executive chef, Larters Golf Course, Winnipeg; Giulia Nardiello, Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C.; Peter Dewer, instructor, Nova Scotia Community College, Kentville, N.S.; Luis Clavel, executive chef, Atlantica Hotel, Halifax; Scott Baechler, instructor, Fanshawe College, London, Ont.
Support members, who assisted the team in coaching, accounting, transportation, accommodations, meals and more, include: Laura Sharpe Dawe (assistant manager), instructional assistant, Vancouver Community College; Chris Kwok (pastry support), pastry chef, Le Societé, Toronto; Natalie Fortier (kitchen support), House of Commons, Ottawa; Cement Chan (kitchen support), La Tigre Cuisine, Vancouver; Tobias MacDonald (coach), instructor Vancouver Community College; Bruno Marti (advisor), retired; James Hutton (administrator/logistics), retired; Shawn Lang (equipment manager), instructional assistant, Vancouver Community College; Daniel Davyduke (team chef), Tableau Bistro, Vancouver; Sandy Chen (kitchen support), Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver.
The Salon Culinaire Mondail, which is part of a tradeshow, is reported to have attracted 76,000 visitors from the hotel and catering sectors, making it the industry’s biggest and most important culinary event in Switzerland. It featured 886 exhibitors from more than 15 countries.
