BCFresh Cook Offf

BCFresh Cook Off Chefs	Stories 1 to 8 of 8
11/27/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 8 Kosta Zogaris – Man of the Oceans; Man of the World. By Philip Till Vancouver – Kosta Zogaris is unstoppable! Beneath an unassuming demeanor and in his trademark fishmongers’ bright yellow sea-waders, Kosta Zogaris is a man consumed with a passion for the fruits of the oceans – and how to sustain those oceans for generations to come. Kosta’s motto could well be: “never, ever, waste food!” Many people are content to learn of their world from books, studies and surveys – not so Kosta Zogaris. His decades of learning come from hands-on experiences very few could boast. Kosta has traveled the world in search of oceanic knowledge and the result is an encyclopedic but non-judgmental insight into our evolving world. From visiting the bustling fishmarkets of Japan to taking a tortuous journey by riverboat to find a teeming secretive fish-plant in China run by a mysterious Godfather who served dinner from parts of fishes even Kosta hadn’t heard of! Then there was the time Kosta flew by rickety float-plane to the ice-covered Arctic in order to advise the Inuit people on how to prepare their catch for export; along the way Kosta’s curiosity got the better of him and ... Continue...
11/16/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 7 Karen Barnaby hails from Ottawa, where she started her cooking career in 1979 on a pink, four burner electric stove in the basement of the Bohemian Restaurant. Moving out of the basement and eventually out of Ottawa, she landed in Toronto in 1981 and became Chef at the Rivoli. After three years of listening to new wave bands at the back of the Rivoli and gratefully absorbing all the knowledge Chef Vanipha Southalack had to impart on Thai and Laotian cooking, she moved to the David Wood Food Shop in Rosedale. During five years there, she opened two more David Wood Food Shops, and co-wrote the David Wood Food Book and the David Wood Dessert Book. During that time, she discovered she had an aptitude for teaching and put it into practice at Dufflet's Great Cooks Cooking School. In 1990 she took a break and travelled to Cuernevaca, Mexico, as a private chef. The following spring, she went to work at the West Vancouver Capers location. After a year, she was hired as Executive Chef of the Raintree Restaurant. She completed Pacific Passions, her first solo cookbook, in 1995. She was offered the position of Executive Chef at The Fish ... Continue...
10/28/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 6 David Foot has been named executive chef, bringing the Jean-Georges’ vision to life at MARKET. He joined Shangri-La in 2006 as a “Tiger” – one of a group of young hoteliers trained at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts throughout Asia – who are now bringing their Asian expertise and training to the group’s first hotel in North America – the Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. Foot initially took on the role of executive chef of Shangri-La, The Marina, Cairns, in Australia. Since January of 2008, he has been executive sous chef at the Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai in China. Foot will be familiar to Vancouverites from his culinary roles at Diva at the Met, the Beach Side Café and the Westin Grand. David has had also worked with Fairmont in Vancouver and the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. David has just returned from China, and after a brief stop in Vancouver, will spend the month of December with Jean-Georges in New York. Continue...
10/21/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 5 Quang Dang, C Restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine, exemplifies the new breed of chef making the Pacific Northwest’s food scene ultramodern. He cuisine is a mix of science and wits and he is as inventive as he is resourceful. Combine that with intense curiosity and high-energy and you have a young chef quickly being recognized as one of Vancouver’s most ingenious new talents. Dang comes from a long line of "food geeks". In her will, Dangs grandmother left him a family heirloom: her cookbook of traditional Vietnamese recipes. It is one of his prized possessions and sits in an overflowing bookcase at home, along with hundreds of other cookbooks from master chefs around the world. After spending his youth in Calgary, Dang moved to Vancouver and stumbled upon his first mentor, Kathleen O’Connor. Under O’Connor, Dang learned the discipline necessary to run a high volume kitchen. Spotted quickly by Chris Mills, Dang moved to Diva at the Met where he honed his culinary skills prior to taking the post as Chef de Cuisine at C Continue...
10/9/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 4 Garlic Topping For Fries ½ cup garlic, chopped finely 1 Tablespoon olive oil The garlic can be done in a food processor using the “pulse” function but do not let the processor run or you will have garlic puree – not what you want. Mix the garlic and the oil together until well combined and then place in a pan over medium high heat. Do not walk away but keep a close eye on the garlic. Stir constantly just until the garlic starts to brown, then turn the heat to low. Let the garlic continue to cook until it has lost that “sharp” smell of garlic and is a pecan brown colour. Do not let it burn! Immediately remove the garlic from the pan to keep it from browning anymore and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add ? cup chopped parsley and mix to combine. Basil Aioli 1 cup good quality mayo – do not use the whipped dressing for this 1 cup basil leaves, removed from the stems Lemon juice from half a lemon 1 Tablespoon crushed garlic Chop the basil as finely as possible without bruising it. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together ... Continue...
10/2/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 3 Chef Robert Belcham spent the frigid Saturday afternoons of his childhood in Edmonton and Peace River eating fresh-from-the-oven cookies and watching PBS cooking programs. Needless to say, Chef Belcham’s desire to learn to cook was instigated at a young age. After graduation, Chef Belcham moved to Victoria, B.C. where he began his training in the culinary arts at Camosun College and subsequently landed his first job as a line cook at Rebar, a small vegetarian restaurant known for its innovative food. Desiring to improve his skills and knowledge, Chef Belcham then joined the kitchen at one of Vancouver Island’s top establishments, The Aerie Resort, as an apprentice. Within two years, the work ethic instilled by his father allowed him to steadily advance and become the property’s Executive Sous Chef. During his time at The Aerie, Chef Belcham was always eager to learn and be challenged. He set his sights beyond borders, and pursued an opportunity to work at one of the most exacting restaurants in North America. He realized that his hard work had paid off after receiving a call from star chef Thomas Keller, offering him a Chef de Partie position at his famous Yountville restaurant, the French Laundry. ... Continue...
9/25/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 2 Chef Caren McSherry BUTTERNUT – RISOTTO ¼ cup unsalted butter 1 medium size white onion diced fine 1 small garlic clove minced 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced to ½ inch 1 ½ cups arboria rice, I prefer canaroli ½ cup white wine 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (hot) 1 cup Swiss cheese cut into ½ inch cubes 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese Method: Rub the squash with a bit of oil and place in the oven at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove and set aside. Heat the butter in a large open sauté pan, add the onion and sauté until the onion is just soft. Add arborio to the pan and sauté for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir until it is completely absorbed by the rice. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, stirring after each addition until most of the liquid has been absorbed before adding the next. Continue until the stock is used and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Season with sea salt and pepper. Place the Swiss cheese cubes in the bottom of 4 serving bowls, stir the Romano cheese into the risotto. Ladle over the Swiss cheese ... Continue...
9/25/2009 BCFresh Cook Off Week 1 Chef Ned Bell Chef Ned Bell was our first chef in the BCFresh Cook Off. Ned joined The CKNW Morning News crew and cooked up Succotash. Ned Bell is arguably one of Canada’s foremost culinary talents. Born in the Okanagan British Columbia’s Wine Country, Ned has always had a passion for cooking. Working with fresh ingredients is something that has always inspired and motivated him to create new and imaginative dishes. Ned started his career in Vancouver where he worked as sous chef at Robert Feenie’s Lumiere Restaurant as well as working under Michael Jacob chef & owner of Le Crocodile. Most recently, Ned has taken on a new challenge and joined the team at Vintage Chophouse and Tavern as their corporate chef. Ned is excited to bring with him to Vintage the knowledge, creativity and intense focus he has cultivated over the course of this career. His talent and expertise, coupled with Vintage’s growing reputation as one of Calgary’s hottest restaurants is undoubtedly the recipe for unsurpassed success! Continue...

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