British Columbia

20th Annual Healthy Chef BC Competition: Recap

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The 20th Annual BCPMA Healthy Chef Competition happened on March 20th at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Vancouver co-hosted by BC Produce Marketing Association and BC Chefs’ Association (BCCA) . The event welcomed over 500 guests to showcase the use of fresh produce incorporated into each dish from 10 restaurants.

The evening is of course filled with delicious innovative food but has a few fun mystery entree and dessert. Plus, there are always room for seconds. The are silent auctions, entertainment, a swag bag and swag box of fresh produce, and awards throughout the evening.

Below are the dishes that were created from each restaurant showcasing the use of fresh local produce.

Hyatt Regency

Kampachi & Salmon sashimi
(Appetizer)

scallion, apple, fingerling potato chips, sunflower
sprouts, chilled white shoyu dashi

Lamb

Lamb with Little Potato CO Fingerlings, sun choke, English Peas, Foraged Mushrooms, Fermented Wild Blueberries and apple Bordelaise Sauce.

The Dark Chocolate Forest

Chocolate and moss, spruce infused milk chocolate mousse, chocolate soil, Meringue Mushrooms and pistachio streusel.

White Spot

Duck Two Ways
(Winner: People’s Choice Award)

Sous vide duck breast in prosciutto, sherry duck glaze, and crispy skin sand. Duck, fois gras and porcini globe with oven dried tomato. This was served with purple potato, heirloom carrots, cauliflower crisps, and pea puree.

Cucumber Panna Cotta

Cucumber panna cotta with Ambrosia apple, celery salad, mini gelato and lime syrup, and topped with meringue.

Acqua Restaurant and Bar | Executive Suites Hotel Metro Vancouver

Star Anise Kumquat Duck

kumquat glace de viande, smoked red kuri squash, black ink crisps, shimeji mushrooms, pickled mustard fennel kimchi, crispy lotus chips, black garlic sesame puree, and fennel tops.

Yuzu Meringue Pie

Meyer lemon, yuzu, dulche de leche, purple tapioca crisp, macerated berries, blueberry meringue.

Cedar Fest House Catering

Entree

Maple Pumpkin Crusted Cod on a bed of Rapini Apple Chutney
Potato Pave, Roasted Beet, Butternut Squash and Corn purée

Dessert

Bannock Truffle, Coconut Dark Chocolate Potato,
Beet Ginger IceCream on a wafer crisp topped with a Ambrosia Apple Chip and Blueberry purée

Wild Forager Catering

Pig in the Cabbage Patch

Gelderman Farms roast pork loin, fried sauercraut, cauliflower and leek fondue, fingerling potato, and olive oil sous-vide grape tomato.

Dessert

BC Ambrosia Apple Pie Gelee, sable tart, maple dijon Chantilly Cream, Apple Cider Tuiles, Contreau Caramel, and Mint Infused Strawberry.

Delta Hotels

Entree

Fermented Pine Mushroom, Celeriac, Housemade Pumpkin Seed miso farro, pumpkin seed Dukkah, pea puree, Celeriac puree, vegetable demi, smoked fingerling potatoes, pickled daikon, shaved fennel, compressed granny smith Apple.

Dessert

Strawberry, Panna Cotta, Almond Cocoa Bin Granola, compressed strawberries, sorrel yogurt sherbet, minted skim milk whipped cream

75 West Coast Grill | Marriott Vancouver Airport

Entree

Sous vide octopus, romesco and manchego cheese cannelloni, charred corn segments, sweet corn foam, avocado puree, mole sauce.

Dessert

Ambrosia apple gateau bisque, walnut milk sphere, charred lemon curd, pistachio and green grape soil, fruit lather, apple fluid gel, amaretto berry variations.

Beach Grove Golf Club

Scallops

Sundried tomato crushed baja scallops with blue skin baby potato filled with yam puree, along with asparagus, baby carrots and baby beet roots served atop red cabbages, miso puree and soy orange butter sauce.

Chocolate Cake

Molten cake filled with chocolate and raspberry sauce, chocolate dirt, and whipped vanilla panna cotta with mango fruit gel drops, finished with crystallize pear chips and edible flowers.

The Wild Fig

Red Beet Fused Dry Aged AAA Striploin
(Winner: Best Entree)

35 days dry aged hormone free AAA Striploin, sweet potato roulade, baby nugget puree, baby beets, caulilini, cipollini, purple brussel, squash puree, nasturtium, dark mesh tuile, and Madagascar peppercorn sauce.

The Real Taste of Banana

White chocolate banana mousse cake tube, cocoa butter, banana compote, hazelnut dacquiose, dolce de leche, fizzy fruit berries, and edible gold dust.

Vancouver Community College

Braised Pork Cheek

Sunchoke, Ambrosia, Sour Radish, Amaranth

Rhubarb bar
(Winner: Best Dessert Award)

Dehydrated Vanilla Meringue, Kombucha fluid gel

Best Table Presentation

Besides the best dishes of the evening, each restaurant had the opportunity to deck out their table with creative and innovative ways with the use of fresh produce. The winner of the night was The Wild Fig with their jungle themed table made out of all vegetables and fruit.

Final Thoughts

It’s always a huge production every year and you see a lot of people in the food and hospitality industry attend the event. I loved seeing the creativity of the dishes from each of the 10 restaurants and the way they go about the dishes is very different.

If you missed out this year, they will be back next year for the 21st annual year, so be sure to watch out when tickets open up.

Website: https://www.bcproducebc.ca/

Diana started Foodology in 2010 because she just eats out everyday! She started a food blog to share her love of food with the world! She lives in Vancouver, BC and adores the diversity of food around her. She will go crazy for churros and lattes.

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