A lot of flames but no one got burned

Kadeem Bessette (l) and Sean Rancourt show off the dishes that shot them to the Next Top Chef position at Canadore College Tuesday.

There were a lot of flames but no one got burned is how Chef Daniel Esposito described the very exciting cooking competition that took place at Canadore Tuesday.

Esposito and fellow culinary faculty hosted 16 high school students from North Bay, Mattawa and Parry Sound at the main campus to test their culinary skills and see who had what it takes to be Canadore's Next Top Chef. In the end a duo from West Ferris Secondary showed they have the chops when it comes to manoeuvring in the kitchen.

Guest judge Jamie O'Connell was truly impressed with what the high school students prepared and the professionalism displayed by the students in high pressure situation.

“It was a difficult task,” says the EZ Rock morning show host of picking the top dish.

“I don’t think people realise how difficult it is because you have to judge on taste and the quality what went into the dish and then there is the overall presentation was the dish appealing. There were 6 teams and there was a soup and main course and a dessert for all of them and everyone had their own interpretation … it was a big task. Especially because you are holding someone’s future in your hands, because the winner of this completion gets a first semester tuition here at Canadore so it’s a big deal.”

O’Connell says she now understands why Chef Gordon Ramsey gets so hot under the collar and that she also has a new appreciation for what arrives at her table when dining out.

“I can imagine the stress that those in the kitchen go through every day to present a plate and a dish that you are going to like,” she states.

“An extreme appreciation because it’s not just a plate that comes out in front of you there is so much prep work ahead of that, it’s the thought into the dish, it’s the ingredients, it’s how they’re cut, it’s how they are presented, is it overcooked, is it undercooked … it is an art and it takes a real special person to do that and Kudos to those in the kitchen.”

In the end it was the dynamic West Ferris Grade 12 duo of Kadeem Bessette and Sean Rancourt who sautéed, whisked and carved their way to first place and with that won the grand prize scholarship covering their first semester tuition to one of the culinary programs at Canadore.

Both students were a bit shell shocked with the win but know with that feather in the cap they are on the right track for a career.

“I just love cooking and being in the kitchen and my teacher just came up to me and asked if I wanted to do this competition I said of course and here I am did a little bit of training and it paid off big time,” says Rancourt.

He says for about a year now he has thought about cooking as a career and with the win it’s a hundred percent guaranteed and his post secondary education will be at Canadore.

“It’s the number 2 culinary school in Canada so you can’t go wrong there.”

“It means a lot ... it means not that big of a student loan now, that’s exactly what it means … a nice jump start to my career.”

Rancourt also says there are no gender roles where cooking is concerned anymore.

“Cooking is for everyone, if you like it peruse it because it is an amazing career.”

Teammate Kadeem Bessette agrees and credits his teachers for encouraging and supporting him as he investigated the culinary world.

“It’s my future so I put everything into it that I had, I was stressing out a bit worrying about the awards but it all came together,” he says of the competition.

“I just really enjoy being in the kitchen and you just have to look for a job that you love so being in the kitchen … I just love it and you get to learn new things all the time … it’s definitely a good career for me.”