Last Monday evening, October 24, the provincial final of the Canadian Culinary Chefs Competition was held, the first edition since 2019.
Posted at 11:45 a.m.
Chef Marc-André Jetté, winner of the last edition (and second in the Canadian grand final), had for the occasion opened the doors (and the kitchen!) of his restaurant Hoogan & Beaufort to host the competition. Still little known in Quebec despite its 18 years of existence, the contest named Canada’s Great Kitchen Party in English is nevertheless very popular in the rest of the country.
Five chefs competed in the hope of winning the provincial title: Émilie Bégin (Culinary Lab), Tarik Belmoufid (Bistro 1843 and member of the Bocuse Canada team), Francis Blais (Menu Extra, winner of the Top chef 2020), Erwann Kerfers (Workshops and flavors) as well as Imad-Eddine Makraji (Bab Kech counter, located at the Central). Each had to present to the five judges and the twenty guests present a dish, paired with a Canadian alcohol, and was evaluated as much on the visual presentation, the taste, the texture, the techniques as on the proposed pairing.
It was finally Mr. Makraji who won the favor of the jury with his dish revisiting two emblematic dishes of Morocco, his country of origin: a rib cooked tajine style accompanied by a marmalade of figs and almonds and a mini-pastilla cipollini onions and tomatoes. Francis Blais took second place with a quail cooked in sacorphage and presented in puff pastry and stuffed with smoked duck hearts, with black garlic and pinot noir juice and purée of chanterelles, a very masterful dish. In third position, Taki Belmoufid surprised with his quail cooked on chest and confit legs, presented like a delicate taco to be dipped in Jerusalem artichoke purée, a bold dish. Mr. Markarji and Belmoufid tied for the public prize. Our favourite: the Émilie Bégin creation, a truly well-worked vegetarian dish around Jerusalem artichokes, full of textures and flavors. Imad-Eddine Makraji, who was sous-chef for Sophie Tabet (winner of the contest in 2016), will try to win the big title at the Canada-wide finals on February 3 and 4, which will take place in Ottawa.