What would you say if I asked, “What is Winterlicious?”. I’m pretty sure you’d talk about it being a prix fixe dining program (I’d say the same), but did you know that it also includes fifteen one-of-a-kind ticketed events featuring some of Toronto’s most unique and interactive foodie experiences? Don’t feel too bad, this guy who pretends to know what’s going on in the Toronto food scene didn’t know that either.
One of these events is the annual Tin Chef Competition which takes place at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, the Liberty Village restaurant whose legendary pancakes have developed a cult following. Hosted by Chef Donna Dooher, this cooking competition pitted five home cooks against each other. Each home cook had one hour to transform the mystery ingredient into a mouthwatering dish for three celebrity judges.
The evening began with Chef Dooher introducing the judges who hailed from different restaurants around the city. They were Pauls Brans of O&B Restaurants, Alida Solomon of Tutti Matti and Saverio Macri of Ciao Wine Bar.
Chef Dooher introducing Pauls Brans, Alida Solomon and Saverio Macri
She then brought out the contestants who were the real stars for the evening: Roman Kliotzkin, Laura Wright, Eugena Kwon, Sean Kay and Christine Emerson.
(L to R) Roman Kliotzkin, Laura Wright, Eugena Kwon, Sean Kay and Christine Emerson
I have to admit that I’m not a big cooking competition fan, although my only experience with this has been what I’ve seen on the Food Network. On a side note, the person who comes up with the sabotages on Cuthroat Kitchen is one devious bastard.
Anyway, as soon as Chef Dooher announced that rack of lamb would be the mystery ingredient, the battle for kitchen supremacy began. Some cooks ran to their stations to prep, while others headed to the well stocked pantry to grab ingredients for their dishes.
The well stocked pantry
The home chefs had one hour to prepare a dish that showcased the mystery ingredient. I was truly impressed with how calm they all were. They were prepping and cooking while being filmed, photographed, interviewed, and questioned by the judges.
Busy Kitchen
Each cook had a different approach to the rack of lamb. For example, Sean decided to use the tenderloin while Christine went the traditional way and served the whole rack with a baked on herb crust.
Christine Emerson’s herb crusted rack of lamb
The smells coming out of the kitchen was mouth watering. I’ve never seen so many people packed around a kitchen straining to get a glimpse into the sizzling pans. Before you knew it, the hour was up and it was time for the judges to taste. As each dish was presented the cook came up to explain what was being presented and their inspiration behind their dish.
Sean Kay explaining his dish to the j
There were two prizes awarded that night, the People’s Choice award and the Tin Chef Champion. The People’s Choice was chosen by the competitors from last year’s Tin Chef competition while the Tin Chef Champion was determined by the celebrity judges. After much eating and deliberation, the winners were finally announced.
The People’s Choice winner was Laura Wright while Roman Kliotzkin was crowned the Tin Chef Champion of 2015.
And here’s your winner: Roman Kliotzkin
My view of cooking competitions have surely changed after seeing the action in the kitchen that night. The competitors handled all the distractions like pros and produced some mouth watering dishes. It was a fantastic night and I have to thank the organizers for allowing me the opportunity to cover the event. I can’t wait for next year’s competition.
Congratulations to all the winners and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from them in the future.
Disclaimer: I was part of the media contingent covering this event
