The Canadian Culinary Federation: Who We Are

The Canadian Culinary Federation is a non-profit association that has been representing food industry professionals across Canada since its inception in 1963. It is the largest organization of its kind in the country, with members including Cook Apprentices, Journeyman Cooks, Professional Chefs/Cooks and general Culinary Professionals.

The CCFCC has undergone name changes and revisions several times over the course of its existence, but the intent remains the same: to provide representation and unity for food industry professionals across Canada. Through training and partnering, they advocate the promotion of Canadian food culture on a national and international scale.

The CCFCC’s yearly National Conference is open to all members, invited guests, and individuals and organizations associated with the hospitality industry. We look forward to seeing you there, as we gather in Vancouver between June 10 and 16, 2011, to share our knowledge, experiences, and a love for food!

Check out the website at ccfcc.ca for more information on the CCFCC, or ccfcc.eventbrite.com for details and tickets for the conference in June.

Exciting Details for Tastes of CCFCC Canada

Sunday June 12, 2011

5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Renaissance Hotel Harbourside
1130 West Hastings St., Vancouver

Tastes of CCFCC Canada is not to be missed this year! Featuring 15 stations from regions across Canada manned by junior chefs and their mentors, guests will enjoy food creations and beverage pairings celebrating Canada’s culinary identity. Also joining us this year are guest chefs from the American Culinary Federation and Washington State Junior Chefs, as well as Aboriginal Culinary Team Canada. Look out for the Aboriginal Culinary team, as they will be presenting dinner for Monday, June 13, 2011 during the conference.

Stations will showcase regional foods, as well as beverages to match—beer, cider, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic options. Attendants will be graced with fantastic food and drink, as well as the opportunity to meet and greet with some of the best chefs in the world.

Take a look at what the stations have to offer:

Prince Edward Island

Junior Chef: Jennifer Bryant

Mentor: Chef Hans Anderegg

Serving Prince Edward Island Style Lobster Macaroni with Aged Cheddar Cheese, paired with Chardonnay.

Nova Scotia

Junior Chef: Brenan Madill

Mentor: Chef Luis Clavel

Serving Nova Scotian farmed Arctic Char, Hodge Podge, Char Cracker, and Oulton’s Smoked Pork Belly paired with Blueberry Iced Tea, Van Dyke’s Blueberry Bomb, and Blueberry Powder.

Quebec

Junior Chef: Stephanie Lavergne

Mentor: Chef Marcel Kretz

Serving Quail stuffed with Fiddleheads, wrapped in boar bacon and presented with celeriac, apple puree, and St. Nicholas apple cider jus. Paired with apple cider.

Ontario

Junior Chef: Nikki Carriere

Mentor: Chef Marcia Budd

Serving pan-fried potato and goat cheese perogies with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, candied double smoked bacon, and scallion cream. Paired with a Syrah.

Manitoba

Junior Chef: Joel MacDonald

Mentor: Chef Tim Appleton

Serving Manitoban smoked goldeye terrine with a beet and goat cheese puree, sautéed pickerel cheeks, micro green, and a flax seed vinaigrette. Paired with a Pinot Gris.

Saskatchewan

Junior Chef: Tom Wood

Mentor: Chef Rob Harrison

Serving a mustard-cured duck bacon, Lac la Ronge wild rice and a barley galette with Carmine Jewel cherry preserve. Paired with a dark Saskatchewan Ale.

Alberta

Junior Chef: Debbie Poulin

Mentor: Chef Hong Chew

Serving pulled pork in a pinto bean cornmeal muffin, topped with a maple buttercream frosting and finished with a smoked chipotle crackle. Paired with a Sap Vampire Maple Lager from Albertan Brewing Company, Amber’s.

British Columbia (Kelowna)

Junior Chef: Jon Garratt

Mentor: Chef Geoffrey Couper

Serving venison bresola with young arugala, drizzled with cold pressed canola and local verjus. Paired with Spirit Bear Gin: an Okanagan elderflower spirit shaken with citrus, and topped with a local sparkling rhubarb bitter.

British Columbia (Vancouver)

Junior Chef: Rachelle Thompson

Mentor: Chef Kevin Greehy and Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside

Serving BC Hazelnut s’mores with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Christy Graham Cracker crumbs, topped with a dark chocolate and chef-made marshmallows. Paired with a hazelnut iced coffee.

British Columbia Oyster Bar

Serving BC’s finest from K’ómoks First Nation.

- Komo Gway, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Rough-shelled with a firm ivory meat and a fresh briny finish.

- Comox, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Plump oyster with a dark velvety mantle, medium salt and a nice cucumber finish.

- Goose Spit, North Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Beach grown and hardened. Firm meats and have a clean briny flavor and mild cucumber finish.

- Tree Island, North Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Unique dark mantle and a full creamy flavor.

- Gartley Beach, North Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Ivory meats and a dark, almost black mantle, rough shell, classic cucumber finish.

- Baynes Sound, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Multi-coloured and highly fluted shells hold nice firm and plump meats with a dark mantle.

- Buckley Bay, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Beach grown oysters have the classic oyster flavour, mild brine, nice and creamy.

- Brooklyn Creek, Comox, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Multi-coloured highly fluted shell offer creamy, plump full meats with medium salt.

- Goose Berry Point, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• Sweet oyster, beach hardened and harvested, creamy white meats surrounded by a dark mantel.

- Sengoku, Baynes Sound, BC, Canada

• A classic oyster, medium salt, clean flavour and a mild cucumber finish.

Youth Team Canada

Mentor: John Carlo Felicella

Serving Qualicum goat cheese, braised organic cippolini onion, mulled tomato and micro greens with a salt and vinegar cracker with emulsified chimichurri.

Aboriginal Team Canada

Junior Chefs from Vancouver Community College’s Aboriginal Culinary Class

Mentor: Chef Ben Genaille

Serving “Kayuukws” from the people of the Nass River—wind-dried salmon and sweet potato rostis, topped with herring egg caviar and served with bannock. Paired with wild herbal tea, hot or iced: a choice of spearmint leaves, lavender blossoms, rose petals, elder flowers, and red clover.

Canadian Cheese Table

Junior Chef: John Dashney

Mentor: Judson Simpson, CCFCC President

Serving a selection of Aged Cheddars, Blues, Bocconcini, Brie, Camembert, Canadian Swiss, Feta, Gouda, Havarti, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Raclette, Saint-Poulin and Tomme.

Canadian cheeses pair well with wines, beers, and cocktails—they’re fantastic!

Renton Washington, USA

Junior Chef with Mentor Chef John Fisher

Martini Bar

Hosted by Von Albrecht and Associates

Serving XFour (“Times Four”) Handcrafted Vodka, BC’s first handcrafted premium corn and rye-based vodka. Distilled four times by master distiller Frank Deiter, with hints of fruit and anise.

Tickets for Tastes of CCFCC Canada are included in full delegates package, and early bird individual tickets are only $90.00 including taxes. Tickets include all food and beverages, with $30 from the sale of each ticket supporting Canadian Junior Chefs Culinary Programs.

For tickets and details, see www.tastesccfcc.eventbrite.com

Meet the Team

We have a fantastic group of people working to organize the CCFCC 2011 National Conference! With mixture of tried-and-true professionals and new-to-the-scene interns, it is certain that this year's conference cannot be missed.

Dawn Donahue

2011 CCFCC Conference Director, President and CEO of Go Golf Events Management

In her own words, Dawn is the “glue” that holds our team together. We are all so grateful for her guidance and support as we work towards the Conference in June 2011!

Mahin Rashid

2011 CCFCC HR Director, Charity Event Coordinator, Mentor

A Simon Fraser University graduate, Mahin has drafted job descriptions, created online profiles for positions, and continues to recruit, interview, and place volunteers for the Conference.

Maria Dowa

2011 CCFCC HR Manager

A University of British Columbia Graduate with a degree in Psychology and Family Science, Maria is currently transitioning into the Human Resources and Nutrition field. With experience as an employment counsellor, and now HR Volunteer, Maria will be organizing the 60 volunteers needed for various committees and the Conference.

Thorsten Gohl

2011 CCFCC Photographer

A graduate in Professional Photo-Imaging at Langara College in 2011, Thorsten captured the West Coast Chocolate Festival on film and will be our official photographer for the CCFCC 2011 National Conference.

Naomi Koit

2011 CCFCC Executive Assistant to Dawn Donahue

A fourth-year Political Studies major at Queen’s University, Naomi was an event organizer and media representative for both the 2008 and 2009 West Coast Chocolate Festivals. As executive assistant to Dawn Donahue for the 2011 CCFCC, she will be maintaining files, creating action plans, drafting various documents, and managing projects to help keep everyone organized.

Susan Fung

2011 CCFCC Intern—Event and Finance Manager

A fourth-year Business Administration major at Simon Fraser University, Susan has contributed to the 2011 CCFCC by drafting budgets, creating event overviews, and utilizing her multilingual talents to translate conference materials into Chinese.

Angelina Tagliafierro

2011 CCFCC Intern—Content Manager, Blogger, Online Marketing

A third-year English major/History Minor at the University of British Columbia, Angelina has worked to strengthen the online presence of the Conference through the CCFCC 2011 National Conference Blog, online promotion, and maintenance of web postings on event listing services.

Naz Kohan

2011 CCFCC Intern—Administrative, Research, and Database Manager

A third-year Political Science major at the University of British Columbia, Naz has worked on the CCFCC website, drafted spreadsheet documents, and translated conference materials into French, German, Chinese, and Spanish.

Celina Vergel de Dios

2011 CCFCC Intern—Event Organizer

A graduate in Educational Psychology from the University of British Columbia, and current student of Event Marketing Management at BCIT, Celina worked extensively with the 2010 West Coast Chocolate Festival Team last year. As Event Organizer, Celina will take on a wide array of tasks with the 2011 CCFCC National Conference.

Thanks to the many others who help us all on a daily basis! We couldn't do it without you all.

And one last thought: thanks to Naomi Koit for compiling the bios of our team members!