Hey students 'Make it with Mushrooms' and win

Mushroom Canada
News Release

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GUELPH – New and unique were the two attributes that came to mind when Mushrooms Canada designed the third annual “Make it with Mushrooms” Student Chef Challenge.

After two successful years, Mushrooms Canada decided on a format change that was unique, innovative, and never done before; a video submission.

Community Colleges from all across Ontario were invited to participate. Cambrian College in Sudbury, Canadore College in North Bay, Conestoga College in Waterloo, Fanshawe College in London, Georgian College in Barrie, Humber College in Toronto, and Niagara College in Niagara have accepted the challenge.

“This year’s challenge is distinctively different than last years, as we have removed the cook-off portion and replaced it with a video submission,” says Mushrooms Canada
Marketing Manager Brittany Stager. With the demand for online cooking videos rising, Mushrooms Canada sees this challenge as a unique way to highlight fresh Ontario
Mushrooms, and for the Colleges’ Culinary programs to showcase their students, culinary abilities, and facilities.

“I like the new format, especially the video idea - it is a great way to connect with our technology savvy students and work with other departments of the college such as Broadcasting,” says Fanshawe Colleges Culinary Program Coordinator Patrick Hersey.

The Student Chefs will compete for a chance to win a $1500 team scholarship, a $1500 donation for the Colleges’ Chef Training Program, and the title “Make it with Mushrooms Masters.” The winning team’s video production group will also receive a prize of $600.

Each team of Student Chefs will submit one Main Course recipe video featuring the star ingredient; fresh Ontario mushrooms. Submissions will be judged on the basis of Presentation, Taste, Simplicity, Consistency, Originality, Nutrition, Story and Video Production. The team with the highest score will be named the “Make it with Mushrooms Masters.”

This will be the third year Mushrooms Canada hosts the Make It with Mushrooms Student Chef Challenge, and hopes to make it a National Challenge in 2010. “Nurturing
the skills of today’s youth and tomorrow’s influencers is very important to Mushroom Canada” states Mushrooms Canada’s Executive VP, Bill Stevens. “Working with the
student programs at Ontario’s community colleges has proven to be a successful strategy to achieve this goal.”

Mushrooms Canada was founded in 1955 as a voluntary, non-profit organization whose members are dedicated to the production and marketing of fresh mushrooms in Canada.
Mushrooms Canada advocates food safety, good nutrition and the proper care and handling of fresh Canadian mushrooms.

Mushrooms Canada’s website, www.mushrooms.ca, provides consumers with nutritional and health information, mushroom varieties and taste profiles, cooking videos, and
delicious mushroom recipes.

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