After winning silver and their golden ticket to the most prestigious yet challenging competition on Earth, in France today, our national culinary athlete Keith Pears and his commis, Joseph Mongillo, placed 10th on the world stage, moving Canada up one place from the 11th position in 2023 and 13th in 2019.
Proud of their accomplishments, Chef Keith Pears fought his way through the five-and-a-half-hour culinary battle featuring venison, foie gras, and tea – mandatory ingredients that paid an homage to the late Paul Bocuse. This 20th edition plate theme celebrated the unique harmony between celery (both stalk and root), stone bass, and lobster, ingredients that we are blessed to find in Canada. With a menu entitled “Canada: The World in Every Bite”, the team included a slew of local ingredients such as Canadian nori, ice wine and hazelnuts in their dishes.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished and excited to have well represented my country and the industry I love”, states Pears. “Ultimately, our participation in the World Cup of cookery talents had the sole objective to put Canada on the world’s list of top culinary destinations with gourmets from all over the globe.”.
Twenty-four teams comprised of some of the best chefs on the planet were gathered in Lyon for what is known to be the most prestigious and difficult culinary competition on Earth. The Bocuse d’Or is an event that makes fine dining an arena sport. It comes with all the trimmings including uniforms, judges, cheering fans holding flags, bronze-silver-and-gold statuettes, and winners on podiums beaming while their national anthem blares in the speakers. And while there’s glory in winning one of the culinary Oscars, the road to Lyon is a long process that takes passion, dedication, and a strong desire for perfection.
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