B.C.'s best chefs and up-and-comers fire it up for glory at BC Food Expo

VANCOUVER, Jan. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Dozens of top British Columbia chefs will turn up the heat starting Sunday as they compete in three live competitions at the BC Foodservice Expo, Jan. 27 and 28 at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. It's an exciting way for B.C.'s hospitality industry to celebrate local talent.

Twelve professional chefs from across the province will vie for the title of BC Chef of the Year on the stage kitchen in the Roasted competition. The chefs must think quickly on their feet as they use a black box of mystery ingredients to make their culinary creations. Chefs will be eliminated each round until a winner remains.

The chef that cooks his or her way to the top will proceed to Edmonton to compete for B.C. at the Canadian Culinary Federation National Convention in June.

This year's competitors are:

• Jeffrey Kelland - Six Mile Pub, Victoria
• Katherine Mueller - Aura, Victoria
• Keith Pears - Ebo at the Delta, Burnaby
• Nathan Wright - Anducci's Catering Company, North Vancouver
• Romeo Oloresisimo - Prestons, Kamloops
• Ross Edward Derrick - Delta Grand Okanagan, Kelowna
• Tyler Leeson - RaudZ Regional Table, Kelowna
• William Tse - Sandbar Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver
  
  

British Columbia has some of the finest Chinese restaurants in the country and the BC Chinese Chef of the Year competition is a chance for these chefs to show off their incredible skill.

The 10 chefs will be competing over two days and will face a panel of professional chef judges. The chefs will work their culinary magic, creating Chinese dishes using a box of mystery ingredients. The winner will also go to Edmonton to compete alongside the chef of the year.

The competitors are:

Anthony Leung - Grand Dynasty, Burnaby
Caroline Levy - Wild Rice, Vancouver
Todd Bright - Wild Rice, Vancouver
Chun Ming Huang - Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant , Richmond
Donald Yiu Fung Low - Fraser Court Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver
Henry Yu - Dragon View Chinese Cuisine, Richmond
Joseph Jiang - The Jade Seafood Restaurant,  Richmond
Guo Jun Zhe - M's Seafood Restaurant, Richmond
Sunny Wei Ji - Phekila Seafood Restaurant, Richmond
William Tse - Sandbar Seafood Restaurant ,Vancouver

The 17^th annual Hot competition is a chance for junior chefs, apprentices and students to compete on stage. Nearly 30 up-and-comers compete using either predefined proteins or black box ingredients. Teams will have 90 minutes to prepare four plates of each course: appetizer, entrée and dessert. The winner will take home a set of Mercer professional chef knives.

With booths featuring new products, foods, ideas and services, the BC Foodservice Expo is British Columbia's largest hospitality trade show. Industry professionals who register will join more than 5,000 attendees who travel from the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan to attend two days of seminars and chef competitions.

Register online at www.bcfoodexpo.ca to take advantage of the special advance discount - $20 off the on-site registration fee.  Media accreditation is also available.

The BC Foodservice Expo is a trade-only event owned and operated by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, one of the country's leading business associations with more than 30,000 members.  Proceeds from the shows fund CRFA's advocacy, research and member services in support of a growing and prosperous Canadian restaurant industry.

SOURCE: Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

Samantha Scholefield, BC Foodservice Expo Show Manager, 604-685-9655 x2 (office) or 604-838-7956 (cell) or [email protected]; Mary Gazze, CRFA Communications, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4226 or [email protected].