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Top of the Hill Bakery retains People’s Choice award
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MAR 05 13 – 12:01 AM — Newcomer Essence Catering on Parkdale Avenue with chef Jason Laurin scored top with judges at the 9th annual Carefor Chocolate Competition on Saturday at the Centurion Centre, while Top of the Hill Bakery of Orléans with chefs Jeff Stoveld and Ashlyn Bredewold retained their title as the People’s Choice favourite.
Each takes home a $500 prize from the event, which attracted a sold-out crowd of 400 for the fifth straight year raising an estimated $37,000 for the non-profit organization that has provided home and community support services in Ottawa since 1897.
Top, the judges’ favourite by Essence Catering. Bottom left, Essence chef Jason Laurin with assistant Chris Tremblay.
Judges felt the Essence entry, simply called “Hazelnut Chocolate,” was especially tasty — and novel — as it included Beyond the Pale Brewery’s “The Darkness” beer in the pastry cream. Other components included flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut chocolate ganache, cocoa nib and hazelnut tuile, and 18-year-old balsamic cherries.
Why the beer, you ask?
“I don’t really know,” Laurin says.
“It’s the first dessert competition I’ve ever done and I decided to fly by the seat of my pants, which has always done well for me in cuisine.”
Good choice, apparently, because in this case the hops added a pleasant background, almost-floral note without being too bitter — a tricky ingredient that could easily overpower food if hops is not used sparingly.
Successfully defending their People’s Choice title, Top of the Hill Bakery presented “Cocoa-Bella” (two photos, above) with a base of chocolate almond daquoise, a layer of strawberry coulis jell, a layer of milk chocolate caramel sprinkled with chocolate cookie crumbs, then hand-dipped in chocolate. (And they certainly get top marks of poetry. Consider this portion of the description of the Top of the Hill dish: “This piece of art incorporates sweeps of caramel dust, strokes of milk chocolate crème anglaise, and a wisp of white chocolate wind. The masterpiece is completed with a touch of nature as your taste buds are tickled by strawberry caviar pearls and an edible cornflower.”)
As a footnote, Top of the Hill won both judges and People’s Choice last year, its first appearance in the competition.
My, it’s a good time for omnivores in Ottawa!
Eleven contestants were on deck this year. Others were Chartwell Seniors Housing, DISH Catering, Empire Grill, Firestone Restaurant Group, Fratelli Restaurants, Hilton Garden Inn Airport Hotel, Social Restaurant and Lounge, Todric’s Fine Dining and Catering, Tulips and Maple Catering Inc.
This was my ninth year on the judging panel. Joining me in the selfless task was chef Michael Blackie, partner at NEXT, The Restaurant; Tim Wasylko, executive chef at the prime minister’s residence; Jonathan Korecki, executive chef at Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar, Hervé Chabert, pastry chef and instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, and Claire Fowles, sommelier and food blogger.
Top from left, judging chefs Michael Blackie, Jonathan Korecki, Tim Wasylko; bottom, Rogers Daytime TV hosts and MCs Lois Lee and Derick Fage.
Among my favourite displays was from Tulips and Maple (photo above) presenting a multi-faceted rendition on a sheet of polished stainless steel called Textures of Chocolate: Bittersweet chocolate cremeux, white chocolate liquorice, gianduja snow (a sweet chocolate with hazelnut paste), black olive nougatine, milk chocolate H2O mousse, concord grape syrup, olive oil per-fyum, peppermint orbs, Maldon sea salt.
Man, that’s a lot of chocolate — which doubtless explains the buzz in the room all morning!
Coveted cups: Left, the People’s Choice award; right, the judges trophy.
A room full of chocolate talent — the contestants.
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