TORONTO — William Tolentino of the Celestin restaurant has been declared the winner of round three of the CRFA’s Ontario-based Discovered Culinary Competition.
Tolentino impressed the judges with a three-course meal created using his mystery box of ingredients.
The winning meal included prosciutto stuffed with apple and mango to start; puréed eggplant with peanut butter, seared rib eye cap and a reduced fish sauce and fig for the second course; and grilled fruit in rice paper, topped with dark chocolate sauce and blackberry and ginger compote, to finish. “Chef Tolentino demonstrated good use of culinary techniques and a variety of techniques as well,” said Luis Londono, meat expert at Retail Ready Foods in Burlington, Ont., and competition judge. “We felt he had the best total dishes and really showed us his skills.”
Tolentino joins the winners of the first two rounds of the competition — Arron Carley of Volos Restaurant and Trish Gill of Beast Restaurant. All three will compete in the finals at the CRFA Show, which runs from March 4 to 6 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. The grand-prize winner will earn a week in Spain cooking at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
