2022 Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Vancouver Recap

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2022 Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Vancouver Recap

November 25, 2022 by Joyce

On Nov 24, 2022, five Vancouver chefs competed at Great Kitchen Party‘s Vancouver Regional Qualifier held at Westin Bayshore. Vancouver was the final stop of nine competing cities across the country, spotlighting talented chefs from St. John’s, Newfoundland to the west coast of British Columbia. Each region’s gold medal-winning chef earns the privilege of competing for national honours at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa on February 3-4, 2023.

The five competing Vancouver chefs were:

Sandy Chen – Archer
Scott Korzack – Bacaro
Vish Mayekar – Caffè La Tana, Pepino’s
Bobby Milheron – Homer St. Cafe & Bar, Tableau Bar Bistro, Maxine’s Cafe & Bar
Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun – Maenam Restaurant

Deliberating over the five chefs’ dishes was a panel of seven esteemed judges, led by national Kitchen Party (KP) Head Judge James Chatto, Vancouver Kitchen Party Senior Judge Joie Alvaro Kent, and 2019 KP Vancouver Gold Medalist and 2020 Canadian Culinary Championship Gold Medalist Roger Ma. After each competing chef presented their dish and accompanying wine pairing to the panel for tasting, the judges enthusiastically chose Bobby Milheron from Homer St. Cafe & Bar, Tableau Bar Bistro, and Maxine’s Cafe & Bar as the gold medalist for his lightly smoked Canadian Geoduck, BC spot prawn terrine, pickled bull kelp, sunchoke and shellfish jus. His dish was paired with Mission Hill’s Reserve Rosé 2021.

*^{From left: Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun, Bobby Milheron, Vish Mayekar}*

Finishing in second spot was Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun from Maenam who prepared Southern Thai-style Turmeric Curry with a mosaic of BC sockeye salmon, mussel, side-striped prawn, fresh young coconut, and squid-ink cracker with housemade “Tom Yum” seasoning. It was paired with Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2020. Vish Mayekar from Caffè La Tana and Pepino’s Spaghetti House placed third with their Lamb Agnolotti and Seared Scallop in South Indian Curry Sauce, with curry-leaf foam and lime crumb accompanied by Artakama Roussanne/Viognier 2021.

Chef Bobby Milheron was privileged to receive the double honour of taking home the People’s Choice Award — voted on by all guests in attendance.

*^{Lightly Smoked Canadian Geoduck by Chef Bobby Milheron}*

*^{Southern Thai-style Turmeric Curry by Chef Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun}*

*^{Lamb Agnolotti and Seared Scallop by Chef Vish Mayekar}*

*^{Chicken Terrine with Smoked Pork Hock by Chef Sandy Chen}*

*^{Gnocchi di Romano by Chef Scott Korzack}*

In addition to the culinary competition, funds were raised for two national beneficiaries and one local charity: Spirit North, empowering indigenous youth through sport and play; MusiCounts, providing musical instruments to schools; and Fresh Roots, cultivating meaningful connections between students and the food they grow.

*^{“The Joyce” cocktail featuring Long Table Distillery}*

Chef Milheron will now go on to represent Vancouver at the 2023 Canadian Culinary Championship, where he will compete against representatives from eight other Canadian cities. “I am honoured to represent Vancouver in the Canadian Culinary Championship,” he said. “I would like to thank my wonderful suppliers and dedicated teammates. This was a team effort, and I couldn’t have done it without all of you.”

All gold-medalist chefs from across the country will gather at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa on February 3-4, 2023. Over the course of two days, they’ll flex their culinary muscles on the national stage to bring home the coveted title of Canadian Culinary Champion.