The following is a re-cap of the Manitoba Canola Growers Black Box Competition that took place in Brandon at Assiniboine Community College and was written by guest blogger Shel. All photos included are also courtesy of Shel too.
Congrats to all who participated!
Cod and Canola: Manitoba Canola Growers’ Black Box Competition 2013
by: Shel Zolkewich
Pesila Aropio has Fiji to thank for her winning creation in the 2013 Manitoba Canola Growers’ Black Box Competition at Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College.
The second year student at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts took top honours in the contest and went home with a $1,000 scholarship. To make things even more impressive, this is the second year in a row Aropio has won the competition.
Her pan-seared cod on a bed of wild rice and mushroom pilaf served with Pernod cream sauce wowed the judges with its complex flavours and the cooking skills needed to pull the dish together. The inspiration came from her homeland of Fiji.
“I tried to come up with a dish that I grew up eating in Fiji but with a little twist on a few items,” Aropio said.
Each of the four participants prepared a salad plus a main entrée. Aropio’s salad included grilled chicken on a bed of mixed greens with honey mustard poppy seed dressing. Under the rules of a black box competition, they needed to use all the secret ingredients in the box. For this competition those ingredients included chicken, bacon, cod and canola oil. Students had a total of two and a half hours to prepare their dishes.
Aropio said getting in the right frame of mind is critical when it comes to competing in culinary contests.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “I zone out and pretend that I’m making supper or a meal for my family.”
Incorporating canola oil into her recipes was easy for Aropio. “My family farms canola and I am a loyal user and why not? It’s one of the healthiest oils out there to use and it’s so versatile in the kitchen,” she said.
Aropio has some impressive goals once her time at Assiniboine’s culinary school is done. She has her eyes set on earning her Red Seal by December of this year.
“I would like to work under someone that I can continue to learn from; hopefully gain some experience and knowledge on how to have my own restaurant some day,” she said.
Although Aropio snagged top honours, her competitors weren’t far behind. Chris Murphy’s elegant chicken, pineapple and beet salad nestled in a cucumber ribbon with a tequila and lime vinaigrette gave judges plenty to think about. His entrée was baked cod with a lemon and mustard crust, pineapple coulis, rice pilaf, sautéed beans and zucchini. Once school is done, Murphy plans to take a management position at a Brandon restaurant, get some experience and then move on to other opportunities.
“My most ultimate goal is to own a restaurant that I can call my own,” he said.
The judges loved the honey Dijon crust of Sami Mulligan’s cod entrée. Her salad included goat cheese, mango and chicken with a honey and orange vinaigrette.
She has some sweet plans once school is done. “My plans are to move to Saskatoon and continue to work in the cooking industry. I hope to find a job working in a bakery.”
Hannah Natrasony took her inspirations from the school-run Grey Owl Dining Room, an annual event where students invite the public for a fine dining experience. Her salad—blueberry, brie and walnut with a ginger vinaigrette—definitely had French flair. Her entrée was cod en papillote with fall vegetables and orange couscous—a method that puts all ingredients into a tidy parchment packet. “I chose a classic French method which is easy but beautiful when done right,” she said.
Natrasony would like to take her show on the road when school is done. “Eventually I would like to open a food truck in Saskatoon.”
Be Well…Shel Zolkewich
Shel writes about the outdoors, travel and food when she’s not playing outside, on the road or eating at www.shelzolkewich.com. Her recent adventures have included a trip to the tundra to serve as cook at a caribou hunting camp and making a long overdue journey to Ukraine with her dad Merv.
An avid angler and hunter and writes the hunting column in the Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, Canada).
She’s written for Up! Magazine, Going Places, Canadian Gardening, Travel Manitoba, Outdoor Canada, Western Living, The National Post, West Magazine, Winnipeg Free Press, The Globe & Mail, EnRoute and various Websites.
