Royal Agricultural Winter Fair heats up for three local chefs

Road to The Royal Chef Competition headed to Barrie Fair on August 29

TORONTO, Aug. 24, 2015 /CNW/ - Three top chefs from the Barrie area will put their culinary skills to the test at the Barrie Fair on August 29 as part of the Egg Farmers of Ontario Road To The Royal Chef Challenge.

Hosted by the award-winning chef Ted Reader, the competition challenges the chefs  to use all fresh ingredients to  create  delicious dishes live on stage.

"We're  excited to kick off the Road To The Royal competitions at the Barrie Fair this year," says Paul Larmer, President of The Royal. "It is a great way to highlight the talent of local chefs from across Ontario and to showcase all the amazing recipes that can be made with local, fresh ingredients."

The Royal will host culinary competitions  at  two other regional fairs and one festival this summer and fall. The winners of these Ontario regional competitions will  participate in the final round of the Road To The Royal Chef Challenge at the Fair in November.

Here's the lineup for The Royal Chef Challenge, which begins at 1pm at the Barrie Fair:

• Dennis Thornton, Chef at Urban Dish Grill & Wine Bar – last year's Road To The Royal  Champion at the Barrie Fair.
• Nick Soulodre, Chef at Barnstormer Brewing.
• Karen Latanville, Chef at Davidson's Country Dining

Each regional competition will follow the same format. Chefs will compete in two 30-minute rounds – one round for an entrée and one for dessert. Each dish will include  "secret ingredients" selected from locally grown or produced food products and provided to the chefs at the start of the event.

In 2015, The Egg Farmers of Ontario Road to The Royal Chef Challenge will also stop at:

• Paris Fair – Sunday, September 6
• Niagara Food Festival - Saturday, September 12
• Markham Fair – Sunday, October 4

The winners of each regional competition will advance  to semi-final rounds to be held on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 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 14.

The Road to The Royal Chef Challenge is partially funded by the Province of Ontario.

About The Royal:

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show.  This year, The 93rd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 6-15, 2015, at Exhibition Place in Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.

SOURCE Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

Courtney Charette, Public Relations Coordinator, 63 Church Street, Suite 203, St. Catharines, ON, Canada, L2R 3C4, Main: 905.682.7203 ext. 222, Direct: 905.346.1231, Cell: 905.329.0391, F: 905.682.7481, E: [email protected], W: www.enterprisecanada.com