A Prince George culinary apprentice is hoping to bring the heat to the Culinary Apprentice of the Year Award competition next month.
Aaron Ivanoff was selected from over 40 applications, with only 11 making the cut for the Nov. 2 event.
He is also the first participant in the competition to have trained at the College of New Caledonia (CNC).
“CNC’s professional cook instructors praised Aaron Ivanoff as a dedicated student who always strived to do his best throughout the Level 1 and Level 2 training he completed at CNC,” said Frank Rossi, Dean of Trades and Technologies at College of New Caledonia in a release. “He won an award for being the top student in his class, and it’s great to see him further his training."
Participants will be competing from northern B.C., the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland at Vancouver Community College in downtown Vancouver.
The competition is returning after a decade of absence.
In order to be eligible, applicants had to receive their Red Seal Chef Certificate in 2018 or be registered as a third-year culinary apprentice in 2019.
They have to also be working in the province at the time of the competition.
The following are the competitors chosen:
- Theo Brisley (Kelowna)
- Raul Copete Vazquez (Burnaby)
- Deidre Davis (Laxgalts'ap/Greenville)
- Siobhan Detkavich (Kelowna)
- Aaron Hoffman (Vancouver)
- Aaron Ivanoff (Prince George)
- Katie Macbeth (Kelowna)
- Keenan Martens (Victoria)
- Emily Poisson (Victoria)
- Nathan Sundeen (Vancouver)
- Joshua Tocher (West Kelowna)
Those competing are required to create a three-course meal for judges as well as invited guests at the competition.
Some judges include world-class chefs such as Bruno Marti, Hamid Sailmain, Morgan Wilson and James Hutton.
“These competitors represent the cream of the crop in culinary excellence,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training in the same release. "These highly-skilled students are living their passion and showcasing the state-of-the-art facilities, training, and mentorship opportunities offered by B.C.’s public colleges and universities. I’m proud that their hard work is being recognized as they represent the best of British Columbia’s world-class culinary scene.”
The Culinary Apprentice of the Year Award winner will have the chance to accompany Culinary Team B.C. to Germany for the World Culinary Olympics in February.
