{"id":2395,"date":"2012-11-17T19:32:44","date_gmt":"2012-11-18T00:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2012-11-19T08:54:14","modified_gmt":"2012-11-19T13:54:14","slug":"vancouver-gold-medal-plates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/?p=2395","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Gold Medal Plates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On the podium in Vancouver – thanks to Ron Sombilon for the image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Go west, young man! That was the gist of my upbringing in the old country. How appropriate, then, to finish the 2012 Gold Medal Plates campaign in Vancouver. It was a fine affair, with Adam van Kouverden, our emcee, coaxing touching tales and much hilarity from a host of athletes, the direct beneficiaries of the room\u2019s largesse through the Canadian Olympic Foundation\u2019s Own the Podium program. The music was equally inspiring, thanks to Jim Cuddy, Dustin Bentall and two (count \u2018em) dazzling violins (one each) in the hands of Anne Lindsay and Kendel Carson. What will become of us all now there are no more Gold medal Plates to look forward to until the cut and thrust of the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna next February 8 and 9?<\/p>\n

Ten chefs competed last night to join us there, four of them from out of town, and the gastronomical standards were remarkably high \u2013 one highly original and delectable dish after another, paired with some splendid wines. But before we get to the nitty-gritty, I\u2019d like to thank the eminent team of judges who worked with me to determine the medallists. We have two Senior Judges in Vancouver, both alike in dignity: the international wine and food judge, Sid Cross, and the esteemed restaurant critic, editor, author and educator Andrew Morrison. With them, we sat down alongside a mighty parliament including author, chef, entertaining expert and Raincoast cracker queen, Lesley Stowe, all-star gastronome and proprietress of Barbara-Jo\u2019s Books to Cooks, Barbara-Jo Macintosh, chef, restaurateur and culinary icon John Bishop, and last year\u2019s gold-medal-winning chef, Rob Feenie. A potent posse indeed. In the end we all agreed on the four best dishes, then the three best, and finally the winner, though the marks separating those chefs who reached the podium were separated by mere percentage points.<\/p>\n

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Chef Angus An’s awesome bronze medal dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our bronze medal was awarded to the first dish of the evening, created by chef Angus An of Maenam. He offered a Vancouver version of a classic southern Thai dom gati but using salmon instead of the traditional dried and salted flakes of kingfish. And what salmon \u2013 so delicately smoked with coconut so that the fish was as soft as a silk pillow! The plump fillet lay hip-deep in a broth of coconut milk spiked hot and sour with fresh tamarind leaf, tamarind paste, fresh herbs and hanks of julienned green mango. Chef An had taken the fish\u2019s skin and deep fried it to a crisp, enhancing the effect with powdered lemongrass that echoed the tang of the broth. On top of that he spooned salmon roe and green kaffir lime pearls and he found a brilliant wine match, pairing perfectly with the acidity of the dish \u2013 a tangy, intense, slightly off dry 2011 Riesling from Cedar Creek.<\/p>\n

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Chef Quang Dang’s divine silver medal dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our silver medal went to Quang Dang of West Restaurant and Bar who chose to work with duck. First he made a finely chopped confit of the tasty leg meat which he rolled into a drum and seared in a pan to give it a crispy surface beneath a subtle Pinot Noir glaze. He cured and smoked the breast and sliced it as thin as silk, setting little curls of the meat around the plate. There are apricot trees at the Foxtrot winery and Chef Dang picked the fruits in their season, using them last night \u2013 a half apricot preserved and then scorched to add a fascinating bitterness to the sweetness, little crisps of apricot as crunchy decoration. The third component was a smooth, savoury pur\u00e9e of Agassiz chestnuts, bridging meat and fruit, and there was a wee mound of breadcrumbs fried in the duck fat in the traditional English accompaniment to a game bird. Scrumptious! And also beautifully matched to the splendid 2009 Pinot Noir from Foxtrot.<\/p>\n

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Chef Mark Filatow’s luscious lamb took the gold<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And then there was the gold medal\u2026 The winner was Mark Filatow of Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar in Kelowna (I can only imagine the local support he can expect next year at the Championships!). Reading the description of his dish, the judges were excited to see he was cooking lion \u2013 a first for Gold Medal Plates \u2013 but it turned out to be a typo for loin \u2013 part of the tender little lambs from Bar \u2018M\u2019 Ranch that provided the protein on the plate. The loin was simply but perfectly prepared, grilled over charcoal but still pink and juicy. Close by on the plate was a thick chunk of merguez sausage made from the lamb\u2019s shoulder and the neck meat cooked sous vide in chef\u2019s chosen wine. The third component was a dainty lozenge of lamb belly braised with a subtle touch of Moroccan spices. We had a piece of roasted baby heirloom carrot and a tiny \u201cdoughnut\u201d of deep-fried mashed potato the size of Cleopatra\u2019s pearl \u2013 and no sauce to mask the elements. None was needed, the meats being so moist and intricately spiced. Chef Filatow\u2019s wine was another remarkably accurate match \u2013 the 2010 Syrah from Orofino\u2019s Scout vineyard in B.C.\u2019s Similkameen Valley.<\/p>\n

So there you have it \u2013 the tenth chef has been chosen for the\u00a0 Championships next year. It\u2019s going to be a battle royal in the Okanagan and I can\u2019t wait to see what our competitors come up with!<\/p>\n

And now here is the wine report from Gold Medal Plates National Wine Advisor, David Lawrason:<\/p>\n

The Okanagan\u2019s Shining Moment<\/p>\n

The wineries of the Okanagan have been the backbone of Gold Medal Plates events this season, certainly at all six events west of Ontario.\u00a0 And so it was fitting that Okanagan winemakers and chefs were in the spotlight at the last Gold Medal Plates event of the regular season in Vancouver. Chef Mark Filatow of Kelowna\u2019s Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar waltzed off with the Gold Medal, and the wonderfully natural, compact yet elaborate Nichol Vineyard 2010 Syrah from Naramata was the unanimous choice of four wine judges for Best Wine of Show.\u00a0 Made from only 17 rows of syrah nestled below a granite cliff, Nichol Syrah will forever be an iconic wine in my mind, as the first syrah I tasted from the Okanagan (the 1995 vintage).<\/p>\n

The Best of Show Award was created to highlight the generous donation by Canada\u2019s wineries to the chefs and to other programs within Gold Medal Plates. The wines are judged on their own merit independent of the food pairings. In Vancouver I was joined by three fellow Canadian Wine Awards judges. Treve Ring, of Victoria is one of the rising stars on the west coast wine scene, an accomplished writer with three local food and wine magazines.\u00a0 DJ Kearney is one of the great wine educators in North America, living in Vancouver where she is undertaking the arduous task of studying for her Master of Wine designation.\u00a0 And we were also joined by good friend Anthony Gismondi, wine columnist for the Vancouver Sun, and co-host of the Best of Food and Wine with Kasey Wilson on AM 650.<\/p>\n

It was a particularly difficult judging with some of the region\u2019s best wines uncorked for the 400 guests. The silver medal wine \u2013 Le Vieux Pin\u2019s 2011 Ava – is an intriguing, beautifully appointed blend of viognier, marsanne and roussanne given minimalist oak ageing by winemaker Severine Pinte, who was trained in the south of France where these grapes thrive.\u00a0 In close third was the brilliant, barely off-dry CedarCreek 2011 Riesling with subtle nectarine, lemon and petrol flavours finely honed by Darryl Brooker.\u00a0 This wine also carted off a bronze medal paired with an exotic Thai dish by Chef Angus An of Maenam.\u00a0\u00a0 The Chefs Silver went to Quang Dang of West Restaurant and Bar who paired with the very sensual Foxtrot 2009 Pinot Noir from Naramata,\u00a0 and Mark Filatow\u2019s golden choice was the profound and powerful Orofino 2010 Scout Vineyard Syrah from the Similkameen Valley.<\/p>\n

At the VIP Reception guests enjoyed Trius Brut from Niagara, a consistent Canadian Wine Awards gold medal winner from Andrew Peller.\u00a0 The company sponsored two other wines this night as well, a surprisingly delicate, poised Red Rooster 2011 Pinot Noir and the very refined, penetrating Sandhill 2011 Small Lots Viognier (both of which were on judges\u2019 radar as finalists). \u00a0Andew Peller has been the largest winery supporter of GMP nationally in 2012.<\/p>\n

The Okanagan Crush Pad, another national sponsor, provided the nuanced, dry and very pretty Haywire 2010 Gamay Rose to the Celebration portion in several cities. \u00a0The good folks at Burrowing Owl Vineyards chipped in with the well-constructed Figure Eight 2010, a blend of cabernet, merlot and syrah.\u00a0 From Quails\u2019 Gate, which has been most generous in multiple cities as well, we had the vibrant Quails\u2019 Gate 2010 Pinot Noir. And from Hillside Vineyards in Naramata guests enjoy the very rich, impressive Hillside 2010 Syrah. As well, special guests at Deloitte sponsors tables enjoyed L\u2019Acadie Vineyards Vintage 2010 Cuvee Sparkling, made by former Okanagan winemaker Bruce Ewart at his winery in Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s on to the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna for Orofino Syrah and the Gold Medal winners from nine other cities across Canada.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go west, young man! That was the gist of my upbringing in the old country. How appropriate, then, to finish the 2012 Gold Medal Plates campaign in Vancouver. It was a fine affair, with Adam van Kouverden, our emcee, coaxing touching tales and much hilarity from a host of athletes, the direct beneficiaries of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91,92,1],"tags":[694,692,586,693],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2395"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2403,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395\/revisions\/2403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jameschatto.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}