Chef William Tolentino wins round three of Discovered Culinary Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2011
TORONTO – Chef William Tolentino of Celestin Restaurant in Toronto won round three of the new Discovered Culinary Competition, held on Monday night at Nella Cucina in Toronto. Chef Tolentino will join the winners of the first two rounds, Chef Arron Carley of Volos Restaurant and Chef Trish Gill of Beast Restaurant, to compete in the 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 Tolentino, Monday night’s competitors were Sarah Schmidt, chef de cuisine at Compass Lakeside Grill in Oakville; Dave McIntyre, creative chef at Food Dudes in Toronto; and Adam Calzonetti, territory manager at Morton Wholesale in Guelph.
The mystery boxes included Brie cheese, prosciutto, white sandwich bread and pomegranate juicefor the appetizer round; rib eye cap, peanut butter, fish sauce and eggplant for the entrée round; and mango, blackberries, ginger and chili flakes for the dessert round.
The judging panel comprises three local chefs. Monday night’s panel included Giacomo Pasquini, executive chef at Vertical Restaurant in Toronto; Luis Londono, meat expert at Retail Ready Foods in Burlington; and Gabriele Paganelli, executive chef and owner at Paganelli’s in Toronto. Also attending was Chef David Adjey, roving food host for the CRFA Show, who interviewed the chefs after each round.
“At first, I felt nervous but excited,” said Chef Tolentino. “Then once I opened the basket I felt more calm and easy, and more focused.” His first dish included prosciutto stuffed with fresh apple and mango, with a reduction of pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar. His entrée involved pureed eggplant with peanut butter, seared rib eye cap and a sauce of reduced fish sauce and fig topped with grilled scallions.
“The last dish – dessert – was not easy to choose,” said judge Chef Paganelli. “Both desserts were about equal so we had to go back to the first two dishes.”
Chef Tolentino’s dessert featured grilled fruit in a rice paper wrapper, topped with dark chocolate sauce and a blackberry and ginger compote.
“Chef Tolentino demonstrated good use of culinary techniques and he used a variety of techniques as well,” said judge Chef Londono. “We felt that Chef Tolentino had the best total dishes and really showed us his skills.”
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. For more information and to apply, go to the Discovered Culinary Competition page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/discoveredchefs.
Chef Tolentino 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 and those who register before Jan. 16 are entered into a draw to win a professional espresso machine worth $1,500.
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