TORONTO — USA Pears held its Canadian culinary student-recipe finals this week at George Brown College and crowned Allegra Jimenez, a student from Vancouver Island, the winner of the annual cooking competition.
Jimenez’ dish combined Red Anjou pears with Canadian prosciutto and blue cheese, garnished with Bosc pear chips and candied-beet salad.
“At first I wanted to do a Pear Wellington, but my brain wouldn’t stop there. I kept thinking of ideas, and I love the classic combination of pears, wine and cheese,” said Jimenez. For her efforts, the 18-year-old Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island student won $2,500 and earned $500 for her school. The four runners-up won $1,000 each and $300 for their schools.
Now in its sixth year, the Pear Bureau Northwest’s competition requires students show “flair with pears.” It aims to inspire Canadian culinary students while bringing awareness to pears in the Canadian foodservice industry.
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