Oakville chef named finalist in national competition
Published September 13, 2024 at 5:17 pm
An Oakville chef has been named a finalist in a national chef competition.
Victoria Rinsma, of downtown Oakville’s Hexagon Restaurant, is one of 10 chefs from across Canada named a finalist for the Sixth Annual S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy.
The young chefs will compete this October 23, 2024, at George Brown College in Toronto for the right to represent Canada at the competition’s Grand Finale in October 2025 in Milan, Italy.
“S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition surprises us with every edition. Candidates outdo themselves from year to year, guided by passion and commitment,” said Matteo Berti, Head of Education at ALMA, the school of Italian Culinary Arts.
“The selection process was not easy, but now it’s up to the shortlisted candidates to show their talents throughout the course of the competition. The best of luck to all of them!”
The S.Pellegrino competition will be judged by an “esteemed panel” of judges, including Normand Laprise (the “mastermind” behind Montreal’s acclaimed restaurant, Toqué!), Jason Bangerter (executive chef of Langdon Hall, a Relais & Châteaux property in Cambridge, ON.), and Nuit Regular (creative force behind PAI Northern Thai Kitchen, Kiin Chaiyo by PAI, Sukhothai, and Selva).
Over 1,000 chefs from 15 countries entered submissions into the competition.
Each submission included the chef’s signature dish and was evaluated by culinary experts from ALMA. The experts assessed each dish based on three criteria: technical skills, creativity, and a personal belief in the transformative power of gastronomy to make a positive change in society through food.
“This is the purest form of expression of my journey,” said Rinsma of the dish (pictured below) she submitted. “This dish will take you through the beginning of my career all the way to the present. It takes inspiration from my grandmother’s impactful love for cooking transmitted to me as a young girl, to the reflection of my culinary career.
“My development as a chef and the learning cultures, were turning points of finding my own identity and what has devoted me to this chapter.”
The Canadian regional finalists are:
- Stefan Armand, Fairmont Express, Victoria, British Columbia
- Anthony Huynh, Enigma Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario
- Harun Younussi, Piano Piano, Toronto, Ontario
- Karly Ready, The Gate, Flesherton, Ontario
- Victoria Rinsma, Hexagon Restaurant, Oakville, Ontario
- Mary Louisse Isabelle, Islington Golf Club, Toronto, Ontario
- Clement Cavoret, Tanière3, Quebec City, Quebec
- Anthony Vien, Tanière3, Quebec City, Quebec
- Sébastien Rémillard, Bocuse d’Or Canada – Chefs Canada, Quebec City, Quebec
- Terry Boutte, Le Mousso, Montreal, Quebec
At the Canadian final, each chef contestant will produce their signature dish to be judged by the aforementioned panel of chef judges. One chef will be named the winner and move on to the Grand Finale.
