This was the winning dish at Ottawa’s top culinary competition
Award-winning chef Briana Kim will represent Ottawa at Canada’s top culinary competition after winning the gold medal at the regional event.
Kim is the executive chef of Alice Restaurant in Little Italy, which has a focus on fermentation and plant-based cooking. She took the gold medal at Monday's Great Kitchen Party Ottawa, qualifying her for next year's national competition.
Kim’s winning dish: onion tuile, smoked potatoes, rhubarb jerky, maitake, pickled onion, dill sour cream, facto green tomato and koji broth.
Éric Chagnon-Zimmerly of North & Navy finished in second and Justin Champagne of Perch finished third. Dominique Dufour of Gray Jay and Wapokunie Riel-Lachapelle of Nikosi Bistro in Wakefield, Que. also competed.
Seven judges deliberated over the dishes, which the chefs presented with accompanying beverages. Kim’s dish was paired with a Pearl Morissette Irreverence 2019 from Niagara Peninsula, Ont.
“Overall, there were five exciting and thoughtful dishes that made us all concentrate and think about them and yet they were all so delicious,” James Chatto, the national head judge, said in a news release. “The Chefs were all very courageous; they went out on a limb. …But in the end Briana’s dish shone brighter than anyone else and it was a unanimous decision.”
Kim attended the University of Ottawa before starting Café My House, a plant-based restaurant in Hintonburg. She closed it and opened Alice in 2019.
Kim will go on to represent Ottawa-Gatineau at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa on Feb. 3 and 4, where she will compete against chefs from eight other Canadian cities.
“It feels great,” she said. “We were really excited to present our dish tonight. We were hoping that the guests would appreciate it as much as the judges, and we couldn’t be more happy.”
Winning chef Briana Kim with Éric Chagnon-Zimmerly (left, silver) and Justin Champagne (bronze).
The competition was previously known as Gold Medal Plates. Kim also won Ottawa’s competition in 2017 and represented the city at the Canadian championships the following year.
Ottawa’s regional event was held Monday at Le Cordon Bleu in Sandy Hill. This was the first in-person event since 2019; there were none in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.
The evening also raised money for two national charities—Spirit North and MusiCounts—as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
No, a best-selling American writing duo didn't pen a Galen Weston romance novel
You would be forgiven for thinking Christina Lauren's latest romance novel stars a hunky reimagining of Loblaw chairman Galen G. Weston.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Sunchips, Munchies recalled by Frito Lay Canada for possible salmonella contamination
Frito Lay Canada is recalling two of its most popular snacks due to a possible risk of salmonella contamination.
Ellen DeGeneres addresses the 'hurtful' end of her talk show in new stand-up set
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.