We recently learned that one of our Slow Food Chefs Alliance members, Chef Jesse McLeery, and his Galiano Island restaurant Pilgrimme have won the Gold Medal at the Canadian Culinary Championships in Victoria, BC.
Chef McCleery wowed the judges with a very brave, interesting and original vegetarian dish. He turned rutabaga into a star by smoking in hay and pairing with onion and pear. “Technically, it was a really impressive, imaginative and interesting dish” said head judge James Chatto, “it is the second time we have had a vegetarian dish win in BC. Everything about it was wonderful, including the wine pairing.” His dish was paired with Sea Star Estate Farm & Vineyards 2015 Blanc de Noir from Pender Island, BC.
The Slow Food Chefs Alliance is more than 700 Chefs, cooks, bakers and charcutery masters coming from restaurants, bistros and street kitchens around the world who support small producers and biodiversity every day, using local products, as well as local fruits, vegetables and cheeses, in their kitchens. In Canada, the Alliance focus on using wild edibles, sustainable seafoods and Ark of taste products. The network have been officially launched in 2015 in Greater Montréal and Vancouver Island.