Chef Justin Miller cooks up another victory at Road to The Royal Chef Challenge at Great Northern Exhibition

Earns spot in semi-finals at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto

TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Three top chefs put their culinary skills and creativity on the table Sunday at the Great Northern Exhibition in Collingwood as part of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair's Road to The Royal Chef Challenge, presented by TSC Stores.

Defending champion Justin Miller, Executive Chef and Owner of the Cabin Bistro in Collingwood, won the competition for the second year in a row with his leek croquette with a beet and goat cheese salad with a bisque, along with Wasabi marinated beef tenderloin with a sweet potato mash and crème demi glaze. For dessert he served up fritters with lavender and honey sorbet.

Chefs were given 60 minutes to create an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. Each dish included a "secret ingredient" selected from locally grown or produced food products. Collingwood chefs had to use Wasabi paste, lavender and fresh Ontario eggs in their dishes.

Also competing in the event were Chef Terry Clough from Paper Chef Consulting in Collingwood and Andy Lee, Sommelier and Red Seal Chef at Bacchus House in Collingwood.

The Road to the Royal Chef Challenge presented by TSC Stores, is visiting six regional fairs leading up to the 92nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs November 7-16, 2014 in the Direct Energy Centre and Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. Award-winning chef and author Ted Reader — known as one of Canada's top barbecue authorities — will serve as Master of Ceremonies for each competition.

"It's always inspiring to see the amazing dishes top chefs are able to cook up in the heat of competition. Each of the chefs showed a lot of creativity and knowledge to perform so well under such tight time constraints," said Reader.

The winners of each regional competition will move forward to semi-final rounds which will be held on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 at The Royal in Toronto. The top two regional finishers and a top Toronto chef will vie for the title of Royal Chef Challenge Champion during a final round at The Royal on Saturday, November 15. Funding support for this program has been provided to The Royal by the Government of Ontario. In addition to TSC Stores, The Road to The Royal Chef Challenge is also sponsored by The Egg Farmers of Ontario, which represents approximately 440 egg farmers and pullet growers.

The remaining stops on The Road to The Royal Chef Challenge include the Markham Fair and Sunday, October 5 and the Norfolk County Fair and Horse show in Simcoe on Saturday, October 11.

In addition to the Great Northern Exhibition in Collingwood, regional competitions have already been held at the Peterborough Exhibition on Saturday, August 9, the Barrie Fair on Saturday, August 23 and the Paris Fair on Sunday, August 31.

About The Royal:

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show.  This year, The 92nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 7-16, 2014 in the Direct Energy Centre and Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.

SOURCE: Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

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