Best Chef in Canada Crowned at 2006 Canadian Culinary Championships Held in Whistler, BC

    WHISTLER, BC, Feb. 5 /CNW/ - He's young. He's hip. And now he's the best
chef in Canada. Makoto Ono of Gluttons Restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba walked
away with the gold at the Gold Medal Plates' Canadian Culinary Championship
held this past weekend in support of Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
    Ono emerged as the frontrunner among the seven finalists, winning the
gold medal following three days of delicious and spirited competition at the
Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa. Michael Blackie, of Ottawa's Brookstreet
Resort was awarded silver and Mark McEwan of Toronto's North 44 took home the
bronze. An elite judging team comprised of the country's most discerning
palates led by National Culinary Advisor James Chatto, chose Ono for his
"original lightness of touch, artistry and the clarity of his flavours."
    At just 28 years old, Ono has been in the business 10 years, having
trained in Vancouver and in London, England. Originally an arts student at the
University of Manitoba, Ono switched to food because he saw it as "a different
medium." Ono has evolved his culinary style into something that can best be
described as "personal cuisine", using Japanese influences combined with
French techniques.
    "This weekend was so nerve wracking," says Ono, "and I was pretty
intimidated being with chefs I've admired for years."
    The seven chef finalists - all having achieved gold in their home cities,
came to the culinary "games" with dedication, discipline and a passion to
excel that mirrors the Olympic spirit of Canada's finest elite athletes. The
Gold Medal Plates 2006 program, which began last fall with a regional
competition held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has moved westward across the
country celebrating culinary excellence, culminating in the final competition
at Whistler, British Columbia, site of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    Regional winners competing for gold this weekend were:Halifax:    Ray Bear, Gio
    Ottawa:     Michael Blackie, Brookstreet
    Toronto:    Mark McEwan, North 44
    Winnipeg:   Makoto Ono, Gluttons
    Edmonton:   Michael Brown, The Westin Hotel
    Calgary:    Michael Lyon, Giorgio's Trattoria, Banff
    Vancouver:  Robert Clark, C"From coast to coast, Canada offers world class cuisine and this
competition is a platform for bringing together and sharing the best culinary
talent in Canada," says Stephen Leckie of Gold Medal Plates. "Through this
program we are pleased to honour the vision and dedication of the finest
Canadian chefs in support of elite summer and winter high performance
athletes."

    Day One - Thursday February 1
    Chefs were presented with a mystery bottle of wine and asked to pair it
with the perfect meal. They were given $300 to design and prepare the gourmet
meal that also included providing samples for the 50 attending guests. The
meal, worth one-third of the total marks, was presented Saturday morning.

    Day Two - Friday, February 2
    The chefs participated in the "Black Box" Competition, whereby they were
given five mystery ingredients, had 10 minutes to decide what to prepare with
them, and then 60 minutes to prepare the meal for judging. Inside each black
box were venison flanks, quinces, hot house sweet peppers, scallops and dulse
(Atlantic seaweed).
    As chefs quickly prepared their dishes in front of the judges and the
cross-Canada crowd of culinary enthusiasts, it became clear that emotions and
the competition were firing up with the ticking of the clock. Intense and
exciting, each chef delivered his outstanding presentation to the sound of
rapturous applause as the spectators cheered on their home-city favourite.
    In the afternoon, chefs embarked on their shopping spree in and around
Whistler village for ingredients using their limited $300 budget. Their
creativity and negotiating skills were put to the test as they stretched every
dollar while hunting for each ingredient.

    Day Three - Saturday, February 3
    The morning began with the blind wine pairing competition that had been
introduced to the chefs Thursday evening. Each chef presented his ideal meal
to complement the mystery wine, (the award-winning Jackson Triggs Cabernet
Sauvignon Grand Reserve 2004) also worth one-third of the total marks.
    The final competition and grand finale invited each competitor to prepare
his own signature dish, with deciding votes cast by the judges and more than
150 attending guests. True to every heart-racing, dramatic Olympic podium
finish, the competition was close, with only five percentage points separating
the gold from bronze position. At 8:50 p.m. Ono was crowned Canada's best chef
in front of an enthusiastic and well fed crowd that included: Steve Podborski,
bronze medallist, alpine skiing, Ross Rebagliati, gold medallist in snowboard
and Paul Rosen, gold medallist goalie with the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter
Games ice sledge hockey team.
    "I really hope this event builds awareness for the culinary arts,
especially in Winnipeg," says Ono. "I'm serious about food and it shouldn't
matter where you live to practice your art."

    Established in 2003, Gold Medal Plates celebrates Canadian excellence and
culture in support of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Since its inception,
more than $1.5 million has been raised to help elite winter (through Own the
Podium - 2010) and summer athletes (through the Road to Excellence initiative)
succeed in their pursuits.

    The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit
organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects
of Canada's involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada's
participation in the Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of
programs that promote the Olympic Movement in Canada through cultural and
educational means. www.olympic.ca.

    VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging
of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The
2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from
February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic
Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. www.vancouver2010.com

    Gold Medal Plates www.goldmedalplates.com will begin its cross Canada
search for the 2007 Culinary Champion this October. Who will succeed Ono as
Canada's best chef?

    Television: B-Roll from the Gold Medal Plates challenge is available.


    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

Image with caption: A shocked Makoto Ono of Winnipeg accepts the Gold Medal Plates award as the 2006 Canadian Culinary Champion as silver medallist Michael Blackie from Ottawa (left) and Mark McEwan, bronze medallist from Toronto enjoy the celebration. The annual event is held in support of summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes. (CNW Group/Gold Medal Plates Inc.)

For further information: Media Inquiries/interviews with chefs and event
organizers: Karen Petcoff, [phone], [e-mail]