Chef Mitchell Lamb wins round eight of Discovered Culinary Competition

TORONTO, Feb. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - Chef Mitchell Lamb, corporate chef for Stone House in Burlington and Lake House in Vineland, won round eight of the new Discovered Culinary Competition, held last night at Nella Cucina in Toronto. Chef Lamb will join the winners of the first seven rounds to compete in the semi-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 Lamb, competitors included Brianna Nash, head chef at Saucy restaurant in Mississauga; Alexandra Kronby, a high school teacher in Oakville and George Brown culinary grad; and Shawn Murphy, chef/owner of Niagara Catering in St. Catharines.

The judging panel comprises three local chefs. Last night's panel included Rodney Bowers, chef/owner of Hey Meatball in Toronto; Mark Wilson, a culinary consultant and Luis Londono, meat expert at Retail Ready Foods in Burlington.

The mystery boxes included scallops, mango, canned lychees and red curry paste for the appetizer round; LiberTerre veal cutlet, green olives, golden raisins and sherry vinegar for the entrée round; and ricotta, mint, blueberry pie filling and animal crackers for dessert.

"This was my first competition," said Chef Lamb. "The amount of time was tough and the pantry was tough, but I got through it."

Chef Lamb made a scallop and lychee ceviche for the appetizer round, with a mango and red curry relish, and tomato and blackberry confit. For the entrée, he wrapped the veal around roasted red peppers and goat cheese, with a sherry vinegar gastrique, sweet potato risotto with pecans and raisins, and roasted tomatoes. His dessert was a deconstructed parfait with white chocolate and lavender ganache, macerated raspberries and ricotta cheese, blueberry pie filling with honey and Greek yoghurt, and crumbled animal crackers.

"He came out really focused," said judge Chef Rodney Bowers. "You could tell he knew what food he wanted from the beginning. It was very visually stimulating."

Winners to date:
Round 1 - Chef Arron Carley of Volos restaurant, Toronto
Round 2 - Chef Trish Gill of Beast restaurant, Toronto
Round 3 - Chef William Tolentino of Celestin restaurant, Toronto
Round 4 - Chef John Koplimae of the Drake Hotel, Toronto
Round 5 - Chef Alejandro Winzer of Ristorante Verdicchio, Sudbury
Round 6 - Chef Glenn Sheridan of Le Bon Marché, North Bay
Round 7 - Chef George Tyminski of Annona restaurant, Park Hyatt Hotel, Toronto

The competition continues on Mondays in February. Applications are still being accepted. For more information and to apply, go to the Discovered Culinary Competition page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/discoveredchefs. 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.

Chef Lamb 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.

Contact: Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected].