Chef Glenn Sheridan wins round six of Discovered Culinary Competition

TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Chef Glenn Sheridan of Le Bon Marché in North Bay won round six of the new Discovered Culinary Competition, held last night at Nella Cucina in Toronto. Chef Sheridan will join the winners of the first five rounds to compete in the semi-finals at the CRFA Show, March 4 - 6, 2012 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.

The Discovered Culinary Competition is a four-month search for the best of Canada's up-and-coming culinary stars. The winning chef will get the opportunity of a lifetime:  an all-expenses-paid trip to spend a week cooking at a Michelin-star restaurant in northern Spain.

In a mystery box challenge, the Discovered Culinary Competition features four Canadian chefs competing against the clock each week to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert. In addition to Chef Sheridan, last night's competitors were Danny Pantano, chef at Chez Vous Dining and Greg Howe, culinary instructor at Humber College. A fourth chef was unable to compete.

The judging panel comprises three local chefs. Last night's panel included Chef Steve Gonzalez, formerly with Origin restaurant and a competitor on last year's Canada's Top Chef; Chef Tony Resendes, foodservice consultant at Van Velzen + Radchenko; and Jamie Drummond, senior editor at GoodFoodRevolution.com, a food industry website.

The mystery boxes included shrimp, honey mustard, asparagus and chorizo sausage for the appetizer round. The entrée round included blood orange, cocoa powder, pistachios and LiberTerre Korean beef short ribs. The dessert box held apples, ginger snaps, passion fruit juice and Greek yoghurt.

"In Canada, these types of competitions don't come around very often," said Chef Sheridan. "There's no point in getting nervous - you either know it or you don't. I'm here for the self-satisfaction of knowing I can do it. Though it was nice that the mayor wrote on my Facebook page."

Chef Sheridan marinated shrimp in mustard, ginger and coriander for the appetizer round, with pan seared chorizo and poached asparagus. For the entrée, he pan seared the short ribs and served them with sectioned oranges and ground pistachios with a cocoa/chocolate sauce. His dessert was an apple poached in passion fruit juice with a ginger snap crust and yoghurt with honey and cinnamon.

"He did a good job with the ingredients," said judge Drummond. "We know that 30 minutes are tough but he definitely can cook."

Also in attendance at round six was Garth Whyte, president and CEO of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, which runs the CRFA Show and is co-presenting this competition.

"It's very exciting here tonight - there's a great buzz," said Whyte. "This competition is a wonderful opportunity for the chefs and really highlights the innovation and trend-setting that is taking place in restaurants across Canada."

Winners to date:
Round 1 - Chef Arron Carley of Volos restaurant, Toronto
Round 2 - Chef Trish Gill of Beast restaurant, Toronto
Round 3 - Chef William Tolentino of Celestin restaurant, Toronto
Round 4 - Chef John Koplimae of the Drake Hotel, Toronto
Round 5 - Chef Alejandro Winzer of Ristorante Verdicchio in Sudbury

The competition continues on Mondays in January and February. Applications are still being accepted. For more information and to apply, go to the Discovered Culinary Competition page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/discoveredchefs.The Discovered Culinary Competition is open to all Canadian chefs employed in the hospitality/foodservice industry. You must be at least 19 years old to compete. There is no entry fee.The competition is sponsored by Discover and presented by Nella Cucina and the CRFA Show.

Chef Sheridan will next compete on March 4 or 5 at the CRFA (Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association) Show, Canada's largest event for hospitality professionals. The four semi-final winners will then compete on March 6 to determine the overall winner.

Registration for the CRFA Show (trade only) is open now at www.crfashow.ca.

Contact: Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected].