Most chefs do not back down from a challenge. Most chefs know how to make a great dish from luxurious ingredients. But when chefs are given a food hamper from the Daily Bread Food Bank and asked to invent a dish using as many ingredients from the hamper as possible…well, then you have a battle worthy of a few hundred guests.
The Daily Bread Food Bank‘s 2nd annual Ultimate Food Challenge pitted three chefs against each other in a friendly showdown to create a crowd-pleasing dish, and to raise money for Daily Bread’s Kitchen. Jason Parsons (Peller Estates Winery Restaurant), Alexandra Feswick (Samuel L. Moore, The Great Hall), and Devan Rajkumar (The Food Dudes) were given a food hamper that represented the average variety of items a food bank user might receive — items such as canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, canned soup, canned or dried beans and a few fresh ingredients that are occasionally available. Chefs were asked to include as many hamper ingredients as possible (this would allow them more points in the judging process).
Jason Parsons created a ham, cheddar and potato croquette, Alexandra Feswick plated Western falafels with mashed chickpeas rolled in pita crumbs on sautéed spinach, and a fresh zucchini and pepper salad, and Devan Rajkumar impressed with a vegetarian slider, apple, carrot and mango slaw, with homemade chili aioli and cheddar cheese. A panel of celebrity judges that included Arlene Dickinson (CBC) and Leslie Roberts (Global) chose Alexandra as the winner of the challenge and the 250 guests weighed in with their votes and picked Devan’s veggie slider as the “fan favourite.”
I’ll admit, I’m fortunate enough to attend many food-related events. Some are good and some are not so good. Chefs have become celebrities in this town, often elevated to near rock-star status. That is the case more often than it should be. The Ultimate Food Challenge shines attention on people who should be considered the real stars of the event. The Daily Bread Food Services Training Program takes people who may have challenges or barriers to employment and puts them through a 16-week training program to teach them food service skills. Graduates and trainees, preparing and serving food like pros, of the program are a key element of this fundraiser. If you need catering done for an event and want to help out a worthy cause, the Daily Bread Catering Kitchen is only a phone call away.
Follow the Daily Bread Food Bank on Twitter: @DailyBreadTO
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