By Janina Stajic
Vancouver Island University’s culinary students Kevin Hilton, Allegra Jimenez and Lizzie Boyle shone so brightly at the B.C. Chefs’ Association Culinary Competition, all of them took home gold medals.
All three put their skills to the test in the cold competition, where looks are everything, and they scored big. Boyle, was awarded the grand gold for the highest amount of points.
“The students have to prepare the food and then present it on a plate so that it’s as aesthetically pleasing as possible,” said Debbie Shore, chairwoman of the culinary department. “The judges don’t taste the food but mark it on workmanship, appearance and presentation.”
The three trained as a team with culinary instructors in order to prepare for the competition, but competed separately.
Shore said it was a great experience for all of the students.
“The cold competition is a category that is part of the Culinary Olympics – an international competition that takes place every four years,” she said. “So it was a great opportunity to give our students a chance to participate in an Olympic-event type of competition.
“That they all took gold and demonstrated exceptional skills made the opportunity all that more exciting.”