FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PEAR BUREAU NORTHWEST NAMES GRAND PRIZE WINNER IN CANADIAN CULINARY STUDENT COMPETITION
Savory pear recipe from Nova Scotia student earns top honors from panel of distinguished judges
Montreal, Quebec - April 13, 2011 - The stakes were high; the pears were ripe. The grand finale for the 2011 USA Pears “Pear Excellence” Canadian Culinary Student Recipe Competition was held on Tuesday, April 12, at Academie Culinaire in Montreal. Five culinary students who emerged victorious from heated regional competitions faced off before a panel of eight judges to determine the National Grand Prize winner.
Martha MacDonald from Nova Scotia Community College Strait Campus, representing the Maritimes Region, won top honors from the judges with her Roasted Green Anjou Pear stuffed with a savory mixture that included pork and “Dragon’s Breath” blue cheese from That Dutchman’s Farm in Nova Scotia. Judges deemed her recipe “innovative” and felt it was a delicious representation of USA Pears.
MacDonald, who has sweet memories of spending time with her father in his pear and apple orchards, said, “I was fortunate enough to grow up with pears, and this opportunity was like a dream come true for me. I am thrilled to have had the chance to participate in this competition, and to have my relationship with pears come full circle.” MacDonald noted that with her winning recipe, she “wanted to show the savory side of pears… the first thing you think of with pears is dessert, but they’re really great in savory recipes as well.”
Now in its fourth year of engaging Canadian culinary students from coast to coast with this annual pear recipe contest, Pear Bureau Northwest recognizes the country’s most talented students for their pear prowess. Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, said, “Canada is one of the top two export markets for Northwest-grown pears, and by educating young chefs nationwide about pears’ culinary versatility, we are able to help increase pear consumption at the foodservice level. In addition, forty percent of consumers who try a great recipe in a restaurant will re-create it at home, thereby increasing retail sales of pears as well.”
MacDonald’s worthy competitors were Amy Bonchuk of Assiniboine Community College/Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts, representing the Prairies Region; Melissa Drutz, George Brown College, representing the Ontario Region; Greg MacIver, LaSalle College, representing the Quebec Region; and Jeffrey Parks, Vancouver Island University, representing the British Columbia Region.
The students won an all-expenses-paid trip to Montreal to compete in the national competition, which is held in conjunction with the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Convention and Expo. First prize earned a cash award, and the remaining students each took home a smaller cash award to recognize their excellence in earning the Regional title. In addition, a television production crew from CTV was there to capture the action behind-the-scenes and before the judges, so the students earned a bit of television exposure as well. Twitter was also used to dispatch play-by-play updates from @USApears live during the finals.
The members of the final judging event’s prestigious judging panel were Chef Peter Dewar, Chef Instructor, Nova Scotia Community College; Chef Barbara Dion, Chef Enseignante, College LaSalle; Martin Lemire, Le must Alimentaire magazine; Chefs Yves and Geneviève Longère, Chef-Owners, Le relais champêtre restaurant; Chef Jean-Sébastien Pilon, Executive Chef, Cuisine Atout; George Pitsikoulis, President, Quebec Produce Marketing Association; and Chef Cindy Toffanello, Professor, Algonquin Community College.
A similar nationwide competition is also held in the U.S. – for which the finale is taking place April 29, 2011 in Portland, Oregon.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
The Pear Bureau Northwest is a nonprofit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon. The Bureau represents more than 1,600 growers who grow 84 percent of the nation’s fresh pear crop, and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. For more information, visit www.usapears.org, www.facebook.com/USApears, and follow @USApears on Twitter.
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Contact:
Cristie Mather, Director of Communications
Pear Bureau Northwest
(503) 652-9720
cmather@usapears.com
Pear Bureau Northwest prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, political beliefs, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Pear Bureau at (503) 652-9720.