Hot damn, this was no ordinary cocktail party! Hot Chefs, Cool Jazz (May 13, 2010) was the collective effort of chefs, sponsors and volunteers in support of Ryan Stone, who will compete in Canada’s honour at the 2011 Bocuse d’Or.
Bocuse d’Or is a biennial culinary competition where 24 of the world’s top chefs go head to head in Lyon, France. It was founded by chef Paul Bocuse in 1983 and is one of the most intense and prestigious cooking competitions in the world today.
^ RauDZ Regional Table (organic merguez sausage, carmelis chevre & potato, lake country asparagus & morels, fester's micro greens)
Stone first apprenticed under Chef Scott Jaegar at Peartree Restaurant who placed 7th in the Bocuse d’Or 2007. (It was sweet to see Jaegar in attendance with trayfuls of chocolate ganache in support of Stone that evening). This culinary warrior is currently the Executive chef at West Coast Fishing Club in Haida Gwaii.
^ Scott Jaeger (Bocuse d'Or Canada 2007 Competitor, Peartree Restaurant) tickles our sweet-tooth (chocolate ganache, crisp hazelnut base, salted caramel, orange sorbet).
Hot Chefs, Cool Jazz put the “fun” in fund-raising.
With the city’s hottest chefs gathered at the new Vancouver Convention Centre to strut their skills and to mingle with the public, using the region’s best seasonal ingredients such as Qualicum scallops, BC spot prawns, line-caught salmon and wild mushrooms, the evening was an incredible showcase of Canada’s evolving culinary excellence.
^ Five Sails (chilled local BC spot prawn, wasabi aioli)
Attendees had fun pairing their own wines with each bite. Each dish was labelled with a suggested wine category such as “crisp”, “fruity”, and “luscious”. Wine stations were set up thoughtfully around the room to accompany the nearby food selections. The two cocktail stations were particularly popular.
^ Svedka vodka comes back with 2 light martinis. Elderflower water seems to be everywhere nowadays, including this "Celeb-bot".
^ Surprise! Gastown's upcoming L'Abattoir premiers with a dungness crab and chickpea toast. Owners Paul Grunberg and Lee Cooper says the opening is just around the corner.
^ Hapa Izakaya steps up with a fresh BC spot prawn in a savory shooter.
^ Chef David Wong (Oru, Bocuse d'Or Canada 2009) puts the final touches on his sake kasu sablefish with a sweet miso sauce.
^ Diva at the Met's new chef, Quang Dang dishes up some halibut cheek tataki. He looks a lot younger than I expected! "I'm actually 48," Dang jokes.
^ Diva at the Met (Cape Scott halibut cheek tataki, ponzu gel).
^ VCC culinary arts (Qualicum scallops, pickled squash puree, foie gras oxtail gyoza).
^ Mosaic - Hyatt Regency (heirloom tomato stuffed with lump crab, wasabi tobico salad, fennel and cucumber slaw)
^ Victoria Chemko, Vikram Vij, and Melody Fury.
Congratulations on a great fund-raising event and good luck to Chef Ryan Stone on his journey to France in January for the Bocuse d’Or competition!
