Gold Medal Plates [General]

2010 Aug 19
If I won the lottery and someone asked me what I was going to do with the money, besides cycling around vineyards in Europe, my dream would be to have every chef that I think is absolutely amazing, come and cook me dinner for one evening. Imagine, each one would have to make me their absolute best, most impressive dish ever. Sensory overload? Probably. But that night is soon going to become a reality. And the Gold Medal Plates is the event that's going to make it happen.

I contemplated going last year. So many reasons to justify the cost – I could very easily just donate the money to charity, but this one has a perk, amazing food and wine! In the end, I didn't make it. But I'm going this year, and I couldn't be happier.

Do I think any of our chefs have what it takes to be the Gold Medal Plate winner? Absolutely. Do I have any idea who will represent Ottawa in the finals? Absolutely not. But these judges, even with so much food experience, have got their work cut out for them!

Anne Desbrisay
Pam Collacott
Margaret Dickenson
Chris Knight
Chef Judson Simpson
Chef Matthew Carmichael
James Chatto

As I look back on the posts I've done on Ottawa restaurants and the talented chefs that make it all happen, my dream list is pretty much this one right here:

Ben Baird – The Urban Pear
Ross & Simon Fraser – Fraser Caf้
Caroline Ishii – Zen Kitchen
Charlotte Langley – Whalesbone Oyster House
Marc Lepine – Atelier
Steve Mitton – Murray Street
Michael Moffatt – Beckta Dining and Wine
Charles Part – Les Foug่res
Michael Potters – Harvest
Rene Rodriguez – Navarra

Now, as much as I'm focusing on the food aspect, we should look at the reason this event is really taking place – our athletes. So many of us spent the winter glued to our TVs, watching our Canadian athletes rock the podium. But these dedicated and inspiring individuals need training, support, leadership and resources to get there. And that's where the money raised at this event goes.

I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a Tuesday night in November, rubbing shoulders with some of our top athletes, dining from a plate fit for a king, sipping local wines, and drooling over the many items up for auction that I know I'll never win because I just can't afford to (yes, one does involve cycling through vineyards in Europe!).

Tickets are $300 each. I would donate that to the Own the Podium Program of the Olympic Foundation without the meal. In this case the excitement of the Quest for Canada's Best Chef is a bonus.

Just thought i'd get the word out on such a fabulous event on November 16th!

2010 Aug 19
sounds like it is time to gather some friends and book a table.

2010 Aug 19
Actually, this is the 2010 lineup, exclusively Ontario

communities.canada.com

2010 Aug 20
Hey Ron, it looks like sometime in the last 3 months since your blog post they switched out Michael Blackie for Charles Part. Here is the link to the Gold Medal Plates website.

www.goldmedalplates.com

Nice to see Charles back in the line-up. A fierce competitor with two placings already with a Gold in 2008 and a Bronze in 2006.

It's a lot of work for the chef's to do this fundraiser event. All the best to them.

2010 Aug 20
I stand corrected. According to head Ottawa judge Anne DesBrisay, Blackie will be out of town in November and Charles Part this week accepted the invitation to replace him. Guess we should check the roaster regularly for changes ...
communities.canada.com

2010 Aug 20
It's a lot of work for the chef's teams to do this fundraiser event. All the best to them.