Pierre-Olivier, chef of the Kebec Club Privé restaurant in Quebec, is honoring Canada with his good performances in the San Pellegrino Young Chef competition, the grand finale of which took place in Milan on October 4th and 5th.
This competition represents the Junior Olympics of Cooking. This international event is the culmination of a two-year review of more than 4,000 applications from around the world, with the selection refined through regional selection to yield 15 candidates aged 18 to 30, each representing their country or continent.
Within five hours, each chef, accompanied by a mentor, had to prepare their signature dish and present it to the members of the jury. It told a story in which the main actors are the ingredients, showing attention to detail, sophistication and absolute mastery. many techniques.
“This generation of young chefs from all over the world is shaping the gastronomy of tomorrow,” admits Hélène Darroze, who sat at the table of the grand jury made up of five of the most influential chefs in the world.
Pía León from the Kjolle restaurant in Lima, Peru, Vicky Lau from the Tate Dining Room in Hong Kong, Nancy Silverton from the Osteria Mozza and Riccardo Camanini from the Lido84 restaurant in Italy completed the jury table. He had to analyze the fifteen creations according to three criteria: technical skill, research and the story behind the dish.
It was the Portuguese Nelson Freitas from the Fifty Seconds restaurant in Lisbon, who was able to unanimously seduce the entire table with his signature dish “Crispy red mullet, sea urchin and homemade black garlic”, praised for its extreme elegance, with a fair balance between Intensity and finesse, then the skilful portrayal of his childhood, but also his professional career.
Completing the podium are Ian Goh and Camille Saint-M’leux, representing Asia and France respectively.
Pierre-Olivier Pelletier promotes Canadian gastronomy
Pierre-Olivier Pelletier Photo provided by Le Cuisinomane
Having just come off the podium, our Canadian Pierre-Olivier Pelletier from the Kebec Club Privé restaurant in Quebec was able to touch the jury and the media present with an emotional speech in which he particularly highlighted the importance of the First Nations and their underrepresentation in Canada in the international gastronomy scene .
With his dish “Matured and smoked duck with sweet grass, birch syrup lacquer, crispy grain, duck juice with roasted grain and carotene vinaigrette, accompanied by tried-and-tested wheat bread with carrot sourdough and homemade butter with miso,” he impressed with its care and quality. The execution largely impressed him and allowed him a few cheers for the preparation of the duck, the elegance of the carrots and the complexity of the homemade miso butter.
The members of the jury were presented with a dish by Pierre-Olivier Pelletier with canned carrots, muesli and sweet grass. Photo provided by San Pellegrino Young Chef
“I gave everything. I implemented the plan perfectly, delivered my best performance ever and have no regrets,” Pierre-Olivier admits a few minutes after his performance.
“With this dish I wanted to honor my past, but also (and above all) the ingredients that have shaped Canada’s history, especially sweetgrass […]. My primary goal was to make the judges remember the history of the dish and its flavors, and I think I did my job,” he concludes.
Pierre-Olivier Pelletier and his wife Cassandre Osterroth are the two chef-owners of the gourmet restaurant Kebec Club Privé in Lower Quebec.