chefs to the field

Chefs Jeff Van Geest and Dino Renaerts rock the clock at yesterday’s ‘Chefs to the Field’.

Though yesterday’s Chefs to the Field got off to a soggy start, the teaming rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of its participating chefs, volunteers and other integral participants. Located at Richmond’s Terra Nova Rural Park, this annual event brings together members of the food industry and food enthusiasts alike to enjoy a day of culinary excellence, to be experienced in more ways than one.

To begin the day, the visiting public were welcomed to the garden and encouraged to purchase tickets which were redeemable for various delectable food samples prepared by the attending restaurants and culinary schools. One could nosh on nibbles of duck confit, smoked salmon with blackberries or a mini pulled pork sandwich while paroosing the booths, listening to live music or strolling through Terra Nova’s picturesque and inspiring gardens. Funds raised from the day’s event will help to run programs which “connect children in Richmond with the earth, their food and their community”.

As the grazing continued, phase one of the Green Cuisine competition began (think ‘Iron Chef’ but outdoors, with minimal equipment) the 8 student competitors were given a quick tour through the gardens and shown the produce available for their dishes. Then the ‘secret ingredient’ was revealed (fresh Coho salmon) and the starting time was called, allowing 60 minutes to completion.

Just as the sun finally burned through the clouds, things really heated up for the ten professional competitors. The premise was the same, but they had to prepare 3 dishes in two hours. The mystery ingredients / curve balls thrown to them were goat’s cheese and agar-agar, a thickener made from seaweed. As their deadline wrapped and runners brought the 30 completed dishes to the judges for tasting, I felt sympathy for both their impending full bellies and overwhelmed pallets. The day’s Green Cuisine winner was Sheraton Wall Centre, though I never did find out what menu items made up their winning repertoire. I will say that everything looked fantastic, and choosing a winner must have been an incredibly difficult (and filling) task.

Good times, good food, good cause. Click here to see more photos.