Latest news with #KitchenBrigades
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg high schoolers make history as first team from outside Quebec to win national finals at inter-school cooking competition
A group of local high schoolers are savouring the sweet taste of victory. Earlier this month, five student chefs from Gordon Bell High School made history as the first team from outside Quebec to win the national finals of La Tablée des Chefs Canadian Culinary Competition, an inter-school cooking contest now in its 12th year. 'It's a great honour,' says Matea Thiessen-Unger, who shares the win with her Grade 10 and 11 classmates Sebastian Salter, Avery Van Solkema, Yevhen Zinchenco and Cailyn Olshevski. TABLÉE DES CHEFS PHOTO The award-winning Kitchen Brigade team, from left: Matea Thiessen-Unger, Cailyn Olshevski, Yevhen Zinchenco, Avery Van Solkema and Sebastian Salter. The competition is the grand finale of Kitchen Brigades, an extracurricular program designed by La Tablée des Chefs to foster an interest in cooking and healthy eating among secondary students across the country. Over the past year, 20 students have taken part in the Gordon Bell's Kitchen Brigades program, which includes 40 hours of hands-on cooking experience over the course of 24 themed workshops led by human ecology teacher Benita Luey Goertzen and local chef Patrick Royandoyan. 'The whole premise is to get students to eat less out of packages, cans and boxes, and be able to make great food with simple ingredients,' Luey Goertzen says. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Olshevski signed up for Kitchen Brigades to explore the creative side of cooking and learn how to make a nice meal for friends and family. Zinchenco and Van Solkema joined because they liked eating and wanted to expand their cooking skills beyond instant ramen noodles. Everyone got more than they bargained for. The five students were selected to compete in the culinary competition for their aptitude and teamwork. Of the 350 Canadian schools participating in Kitchen Brigades this year, 174 entered the competition phase, with the five finalists determined by a series of regional contests. TABLÉE DES CHEFS PHOTO The student chefs from Gordon Bell High School made history earlier this month as the first team from outside Quebec to win the national finals of La Tablée des Chefs Canadian Culinary Competition, an inter-school cooking contest. The Gordon Bell team travelled to Montreal in early June to face off against four schools from Quebec in a Chopped-style timed cooking competition complete with a bag of mystery ingredients. While the students were initially excited by their assigned items — Brussels sprouts, turnips and beef strip loin — they quickly learned their plan to make beef tartare was a no-go. 'It was too easy and it didn't show how you're able to cook things,' explains Olshevski. After a brief brainstorming session, they settled on a new direction: a medium-rare butter-basted steak, served with a Brussels sprout and turnip purée, tomato and onion confit, asparagus and potato chips. The team was awarded the top prize — a trophy topped with sculptural spoons and spatulas — for their technical skills, creativity and strong team spirit. The students credit their win to friendship and solid communication. 'Communication is absolutely vital. You need to get all of these things done, but you need to do them perfectly,' says Van Solkema, who was responsible for planning, plating and cooking the protein, along with Zinchenco. Salter took care of the vegetable prepwork, Thiessen-Unger kept the group organized and Olshevski handled the starch. TABLÉE DES CHEFS PHOTO Gordon Bell's winning dish was a medium-rare butter-basted steak, served with Brussels sprouts and turnip purée, tomato and onion confit, asparagus and potato chips. After winning nationals, the group returned to Montreal last week to compete in an international event against students from Paris. While the results weren't what they hoped, the Gordon Bell team is feeling far from disappointed heading into summer vacation. 'I think it was kind of good that we lost in internationals because we've got motivation for next year to compete and be better,' Zinchenco says, adding the group got to eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant and explore Montreal during their recent visit. All the students are looking forward to returning to Kitchen Brigades next school year and some are considering a culinary career in the future. Either way, they've picked up cooking skills that will serve them well. 'I feel like (these skills) are going to be really helpful for whenever we get our own places and have to buy and make our own food,' Olshevski says. Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Cision Canada
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Cision Canada
La Tablée des Chefs: Manitoban Team Wins the 12th Edition of the National Kitchen Brigades Finals
MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The national finals of Kitchen Brigades, an initiative by La Tablée des Chefs, were held on June 8 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) in Montreal. After a hard-fought final round, Gordon Bell High School from Winnipeg, Manitoba, claimed top honours—marking the first time in the program's history that a school outside Quebec has won the title. During the competition, the five finalist brigades (four from Quebec and one from Manitoba) were challenged to create a main dish featuring three mystery ingredients: Brussel sprouts, white turnips and beef strip loin. Their dishes were then evaluated by a panel of expert judges. The winning team stood out thanks to its exceptional mastery of technical skills, remarkable creativity and strong team spirit. Hosted by celebrity chef Ricardo, the event featured the special presence of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, who came in person to meet and encourage the young participants. Looking ahead, the Kitchen Brigades international finale will be held in Montreal on June 21 at Sid Lee's bistro. In a friendly culinary face off, Manitoba's winning team will go head-to-head with the champions from La Tablée des Chefs France, composed of students from the Collège Jean Jaurès, in Pantin, a suburb of Paris. Quotes "The entire team at La Tablée des Chefs is thrilled by the victory of Gordon Bell High School's kitchen brigade. Our ' Kitchen Brigades' initiative is far more than just a culinary program; it's a life-changing journey. I hope that the recognition earned by a school outside Quebec will inspire other secondary schools across the country to join this remarkable initiative, which fosters both food autonomy and team spirit among participants." - Jean-François Archambault, founder and General Manager of La Tablée des Chefs This year, nearly 350 school groups from across Canada took part in the after-school " Kitchen Brigades" program. Among them, only 174 schools entered the competition phase, with just five advancing to the National finals. Throughout the year, participating youth received close to 40 hours of hands-on culinary training, delivered through 24 workshops that combined technical cooking skills with healthy eating education. About La Tablée des Chefs
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
La Tablée des Chefs: Manitoban Team Wins the 12th Edition of the National Kitchen Brigades Finals
MONTREAL, June 18, 2025 /CNW/ - The national finals of Kitchen Brigades, an initiative by La Tablée des Chefs, were held on June 8 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) in Montreal. After a hard-fought final round, Gordon Bell High School from Winnipeg, Manitoba, claimed top honours—marking the first time in the program's history that a school outside Quebec has won the title. During the competition, the five finalist brigades (four from Quebec and one from Manitoba) were challenged to create a main dish featuring three mystery ingredients: Brussel sprouts, white turnips and beef strip loin. Their dishes were then evaluated by a panel of expert judges. The winning team stood out thanks to its exceptional mastery of technical skills, remarkable creativity and strong team spirit. Hosted by celebrity chef Ricardo, the event featured the special presence of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, who came in person to meet and encourage the young participants. Looking ahead, the Kitchen Brigades international finale will be held in Montreal on June 21 at Sid Lee's bistro. In a friendly culinary face off, Manitoba's winning team will go head-to-head with the champions from La Tablée des Chefs France, composed of students from the Collège Jean Jaurès, in Pantin, a suburb of Paris. Quotes "The entire team at La Tablée des Chefs is thrilled by the victory of Gordon Bell High School's kitchen brigade. Our 'Kitchen Brigades' initiative is far more than just a culinary program; it's a life-changing journey. I hope that the recognition earned by a school outside Quebec will inspire other secondary schools across the country to join this remarkable initiative, which fosters both food autonomy and team spirit among participants." - Jean-François Archambault, founder and General Manager of La Tablée des Chefs This year, nearly 350 school groups from across Canada took part in the after-school "Kitchen Brigades" program. Among them, only 174 schools entered the competition phase, with just five advancing to the National finals. Throughout the year, participating youth received close to 40 hours of hands-on culinary training, delivered through 24 workshops that combined technical cooking skills with healthy eating education. About La Tablée des Chefs La Tablée des Chefs's mission can be summed up in just two words: feed and educate. Feed today to fight against food insecurity. Educate youth to help them build food autonomy. Since its founding in 2002, the organization has distributed over 21 million cooked meals to community organizations and introduced more than 79,000 young people to cooking and healthy eating. To learn more, visit: SOURCE Tablée des Chefs View original content to download multimedia: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
