Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Great Canadian Cheese Festival

Tasting 225 cheeses over two days for a noble cause

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Judges of the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix sponsored by Dairy farmers of Canada.
Judges of the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Somebody had to do it, taste 225 cheeses over two days.

That was the task facing the eight judges gathered in Montreal over Saturday and Sunday to taste their way through the 225 cheeses entered in the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, the bi-annual competition that decides the best in cow’s milk cheese made in Canada.

Finalists will be revealed on February 26 with the winners announced on April 18. CheeseLover.ca will post the results the same day.

The first time most of the winners will be available for tasting and purchase by the public in one place will be at the third annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival on June 1-2 in Picton in Ontario’s Prince Edward County, just across the Bay of Quinte from Belleville.

Meet the eight judges who gave their all for a noble cause (in the photo, from left to right):

Sue Riedl: A Toronto-based food writer who is the cheese columnist for The Globe and Mail and also hosts its “Chef Basics” video series. She’s a regular contributor to foodnetwork.ca and writes for her blog (cheeseandtoast.com) about cheese and other edibles. Sue studied at Queen’s University before obtaining her cuisine certificate at the Cordon Bleu in London, England. She has worked in Toronto’s dining industry and has graduated from Canada’s Cheese Education Guild. Click here for her blog on the judging.

Michael Howell: Executive Chef of Tempestuous Culinary in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, cookbook author, leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia, President of The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia and sits on the Board of Taste of Nova Scotia. Michael is a strident advocate for local food, family farms and new farmers. Click here for his Facebook post on the judging.

Allison Spurrell: Owner of the cheese boutique Les Amis du Fromage and the cheese-inspired restaurant Au Petit Chavignol in Vancouver.  Allison holds a certificate in cheese making technology from the University of Guelph and was inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers – Confrérie de Saint-Uguzon. Allison has been a member of the CCGP jury since 2006.

Gurth Pretty: Former president and owner of Cheese of Canada, Gurth is a true cheese lover and connoisseur. He was a jury member in the 2009 and 2011 CCGP events, and was invited to be a judge at the 2011 American Cheese Society competition. Chef and author of several books on cheese, he works passionately to have more delicious cheese be made available to Canadian consumers. He’s currently a Senior Category Manager of deli cheese for Loblaw Companies Ltd. Click here for his photos of the judging.

Danny St Pierre: After graduating from l’École Hôtelière de Laval cooking school, Danny rose through the world of cuisine including advanced-level training at the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec in 1998 and two years at the world-renowned Toqué restaurant in Montreal, where he earned his stripes as a chef. Danny also served as host of the Ma Caravane au Canada TV show that aired on TV5 Monde. He is the owner of Auguste restaurant in Sherbrooke, Quebec and co-owner of Chez Augustine, a new café and caterer that celebrates home cooking for both eating in or taking out.

Reg Hendrickson: Reg has 40 years of experience in the food industry including teaching professional culinary programs in the Calgary public school system. He has a 20-year working relationship with Dairy Farmers of Canada and was responsible for the research and development of its initial cheese training material. He provides training for deli staff, and delivers cheese seminars especially geared to the needs of food industry professionals and the interests of the general public.

Ian Picard: Vice-President of La Fromagerie Hamel, one of Quebec’s finest and highly reputed cheese shops. Ian studied everything there is to learn about cheese at the École Nationale d’Industrie Laitière et des Biotechnologies in Poligny, France. He has worked with some of the most renowned master cheese makers in Paris, Dijon and Alsace to perfect his technique.

Phil Bélanger: Jury Chairman and the longest-standing jury member. Phil’s been a part of the CCGP since its inception in 1998. He has had a distinguished career to the Atlantic agrifood industry and currently is Senior Consultant for Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour for the province of New Brunswick and Chairman of La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs for the New Brunswick chapter, as well as an independent consultant in hospitality and tourism.

Earlybird ticket sales for The Great Canadian Cheese Festival are under way.

Dairy Farmers of Canada, Grilled cheese, Upper Canada Cheese

2012 Grate Canadian Grilled Cheese Cook-Off

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Chef Jason Bangerter, executive chef at O&B Canteen and Luma in Toronto, is the Master of the Melt after winning the 2012 Grate Canadian Grilled Cheese Cook-Off. (CNW Group/Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC))

Jason Bangerter, executive chef, O&B Canteen and Luma restaurants in Toronto, won the coveted cheese grater trophy for his Niagara Gold Crunch at the 2012 Grate Canadian Grilled Cheese Cook-Off sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Jason Bangerter- Niagara Gold Crunch
Niagara Gold Crunch was judged the best grilled-cheese sandwich of 2012 in Canada.

The winning creation was reminiscent of a gourmet grilled ham and cheese, but the chef used shaved prosciutto and baby arugula as a filling between layers of that wonderful Niagara Gold, spread with a thyme, garlic and black pepper mayo and served with pickled grapes. Chef Bangerter wooed the judges’ sense of smell by completing the grilling by sautéing it in a little extra butter, thyme and garlic. Upper Canada’s cheesemaker was on hand to cheer him on.

From L to R, Chefs Michael Howell, Liana Robberecht, Ned Bell, and Jason Bangerter are all smiles after competing in the 2012 Grate Canadian Grilled Cheese Cook-Off in Toronto. (CNW Group/Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC))

The competing chefs hailed from four provinces of Canada: Ned Bell, executive chef, Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver, British Columbia; Liana Robberecht, executive chef, Calgary Petroleum Club, Calgary, Alberta; Jason Bangerter, executive chef, O&B Canteen & Luma, Toronto, Ontario; and Michael Howell, chef and owner, Tempestous Culinary, Nova Scotia.

Each chef  prepared two different sandwiches to present to the judges. Bangerter’s other entry was a sweet grilled cheese, filled with strawberries, raspberry liqueur, and layered with basil and Canadian Mascarpone. Served with a lavender milk to drink.

Left to right, Chef Bangerter and Chef Bell, with Judge Kevin Durkee.

The judges were Canadian food writers Sue Riedl, Rita DeMontis and Elizabeth Baird, and Kevin Durkee proprietor of CHEESEWERKS restaurant in Toronto.

The competition was fierce, with Chef Robberecht (left) paired with Chef Howell in the first round of the cook-off.

Chef Howell defended his 2011 title with an Apulia Panini and a Crabby Dipper pictured below, made with Canadian Cream Cheese and smoked Canadian Gouda.

Chef Howells Crabby Dipper.
Chef Howell’s Crabby Dipper.

Chef Robberecht’s entries were The Cherry Bomb made with candied cherry tomatoes and rich Triple Cream Brie and thick sizzling bacon, and the Stampede Centennial with Alberta BBQ beef pulled short ribs complemented by Canadian Provolone and Blue cheese.

Chef Bell used local B.C. cheeses such as Island Brie and Courtenay Cheddar served with a homemade fruit chutney in his The Simple and he went from simple to sweet in his entry Ned Bell Pepper Sweet & Spicy  with B.C. Pacific Pepper Spicy Verdelait and Cheddar Red Hot Pepper surrounding tomatoes in the centre.

For recipes and more click here.

—Rebecca Crosgrey is logistics boss of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgghEgyFDmY?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Cooks & Curds Gala, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Ivy Knight, Kootenay Alpine Cheese, Thornloe Cheese

Cheese Gala: A cook and curds from British Columbia

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Chef Jimmy Stewart of Whistler, British Columbia.

Aerated Triple Cream Camembert with Phyllo Crisps and Spiced Almonds

One of eight tasting dishes prepared by eight outstanding chefs from across Canada for the Cooks & Curds Gala at the 2012 Great Canadian Cheese Festival on Saturday evening, June 2, presented by Swallow.

The Gala is the culinary and social highlight of the Cheese Festival. The first sitting at 6:00 p.m. has SOLD OUT. Second sitting at 7:00 p.m. now on sale. Don’t delay ordering your tickets!

Chefs use Canadian cheeses to create mouth-watering tasting dishes that are paired with Canadian wine, craft beer and cider. The strolling dinner concludes with an after-dinner cheese board presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sweets and wine.

Food Network celebrity chef Bob Blumer will make a guest appearance to prepare his signature blue-cheese cappucino made with Alpindon from Kootenay Alpine Cheese and Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue from Thornloe Cheese.

Ivy Knight, editor-in-chief of Swallow, the new online food and drink magazine, serves as Gala Co-ordinator.

Cheesewerks, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Events, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Grilled cheese

Cheesewerks the Official Grilled Cheese at Cheese Festival

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Cheesewerks Original: Aged and double-smoked Balderson cheddars are grilled on cracked-peppercorn sourdough and served with roasted-garlic-red-pepper ketchup.

Cheesewerks has been named Official Grilled Cheese of the second annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival taking place June 1-3 in Picton, in the heart of Prince Edward County, the newest VQA wine region in Canada.

The Toronto grilled-cheese emporium is Canada’s first and only restaurant totally dedicated to placing artisan cheese at the centre of every plate. The Festival is Canada’s only event to showcase Canadian artisan cheese from coast to coast, along with artisan foods, fine wine and craft beer.

“Although we had more than 100 artisan cheeses on hand for sampling and purchase at the inaugural event, our patrons asked for more,” says Georgs Kolesnikovs, the Festival’s founder. “Thus was born the idea for a food court featuring grilled-cheese sandwiches and other eats.”

The Cheese Festival and Cheesewerks share the same mission: promote the best in Canadian cheese.

” We support 100% Canadian cheese, using Canadian artisan products throughout our menu and retail offering,” says Kevin Durkee, co-owner of Cheesewerks. “In fact, we are recognized and endorsed by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Having the little blue cow as part of our credentials is amazing. The DFC designation is typically offered to producers and retail brands, to showcase their use of 100% Canadian Milk.  I’m not familiar of another restaurant that has been awarded this designation. We are very proud of this designation.”

Cheesewerks is developing a special menu for the Cheese Festival, but it’s sure to feature some of its more popular offerings such as:

  • Original: Balderson Aged and Double-Smoked Cheddars on Cracked Peppercorn Sourdough
  • Los Angeles: Havarti, Smashed Avacado, Arugula, Citrus Compote on Green Onion Potato Bread

Cheesewerks will be joined in the Festival’s food court by Buddha Dog and Primitive Cuisine during the Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair on Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3.

Space is limited at historic Crystal Palace and grounds. Save money and avoid disappointment by purchasing tickets online.

All You Need Is Cheese, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Great Canadian Cheese Festival

Second annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival upcoming

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Cheese lovers can taste and buy more than 100 Canadian artisan cheeses at the Festival and sample Canadian wine, craft beer and cider, plus taste and buy artisanal foods.

In less than three months, thousands of cheese lovers will be in heaven at the second annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

It’s the one and only event in Canada whose chief objective is to promote Canadian cheese and cheesemakers and the consumption of Canadian artisan, farmstead and specialty cheese.

Advance tickets are on sale online for the June 1-3 Festival in Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario’s fastest-growing gastronomic destination. Space is limited so don’t delay in buying tickets.

  • Taste and purchase Canadian cheese from coast to coast
  • Meet leading cheesemakers from Quebec, Ontario and the rest of Canada
  • Learn about the best in Canadian cheese at special presentations by Dairy Farmers of Canada in the All You Need Is Cheese Annex
  • Enjoy amazing cheese dishes at the Cooks & Curds Gala prepared by outstanding chefs such as Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, Toronto, and Michael Blackie of the National Arts Centre, Ottaw
  • See the animals that produce milk for cheese at the Festival Dairy Farm. Try milking a cow!
  • Let experts such as Julia Rogers, Andy Shay, Vanessa Simmons and Janice Beaton fuel your passion in tutored cheese tastings
  • Take a cheese tour of Prince Edward County
  • Learn to cook with artisan cheese at From the Farm Cooking School.
  • Eat out at County restaurants featuring cheese-themed dinners
  • Share your passion for cheese with kindred spirits from across Canada

Canadian artisan cheese—in all its delicious variations—is the primary focus of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival, but fine wine and craft beer are also featured, along with artisanal foods.

Who benefits?

It’s a win-win scenario for hundreds of producers and thousands of consumers. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds funds a scholarship for young Canadians pursuing a career in cheese.

Only Canadian cheesemakers who turn the pure milk of Canadian cows, goats, sheep and water buffalo into cheese, using no modified milk ingredients (MMI), are invited to participate in the Festival.

 

Cypress Grove Cheese, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Emmentaler, Ivanhoe, Major Craig’s Chutney, Mariposa Dairy, Ontario Goat Cheese, Primeridge Pure, Seed to Sausage, Thornloe Cheese

Pulled-pork parfait a fabulous find at Gourmet Expo

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Giovanni Le Brasso shows a guest how easy it is to cut an 80-kilo wheel of Emmentaler at the Switzerland Cheese display at the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo in Toronto this week.

There are more wines to taste than is humanly possible in one evening and all kinds of fancy food to sample, but pulled pork was the clear winner in our hearts  and stomachs at the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo in Toronto this week. Not just any pulled pork but a perfect parfait served up at Hank Daddy’s Barbecue stand.

Pulled-Pork Parfait made by Hank Daddy's Barbecue, pictured with Hank's nephew Gordie.

Here are the ingredients: pulled pork, Hank Daddy’s Original Barbecue Sauce, mashed potatoes, more sauce, another layer of pork, sauce, potatoes, more pork and a topping of baked beans. Talk about an ultimate take on comfort food! No wonder Jennifer Bain raved about it in the Toronto Star after sampling the dish at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair last week.

For cheese lovers, there is a diverse selection of tastes to be had at the Gourmet Expo which runs till Sunday:

  • Cypress Grove Cheese from Northern California and Sobeys Ontario team up to present a divine plate of four goat cheeses made by Mary Keehn, one of the founders of the artisan-cheese movement in the U.S.
  • A delicious selection of classic and contemporary goat cheeses is available at the stand operated by Ontario Goat Cheese.
  • Devil’s Rock, a creamy blue cheese from Northern Ontario, and squeaky cheese curds are front and center at the Thornloe Cheese stand.
  • Major Craig’s Chutney is partering with two new artisan producers, Primeridge Pure and Seed to Sausage, to present a dynamite charcuterie platter.

Dairy Farmers of Canada is presenting winners of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix in tasting seminars at the All You need Is Cheese stage.

Also participating in the Expo: Finica Food Specialties with Mariposa Dairy and other products,  Ivanhoe Cheese and Switzerland Cheese.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca and founder of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

Cheese rolling, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Natural Pastures Cheese

Heads and heels over cheese at cheese-rolling championship

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The rolling cheese eludes chasers as they run, stumble and fall during a championship heat.

Chasing a giant wheel of Canadian cheese down Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia, is how 165 enthusiastic competitors spent last Sunday afternoon during the annual Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

The two Grand Champions each went home with an 11-pound wheel of Canadian cheese and a Whistler season’s ski pass for two.

The male Grand Champion, Guy McLintock of Vancouver, British Columbia, won the men’s race in a time of nine seconds and the female Grand Champion, Lorraine Phan of Richmond, British Columbia, won the women’s race in a time of 19 seconds.  In addition to the men’s and women’s downhill races, 139 children participated in uphill races.

“This festival, which is now the most unique one held worldwide, attracts families, contestants and spectators from across Canada and all for the love of cheese. The number of people participating in the races, attending the festival and sampling some of Canada’s great cheeses exceeded our expectations,” said Solange Heiss, assistant director, marketing and nutrition communications, Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Dairy Farmers of Canada is proud to sponsor the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival for the fourth year and shine the spotlight on the high-quality cheese produced in this country from coast to coast.”

More than 12,500 spectators took in a host of fun activities including Cheese Twister, free cheese seminars and a cheese market full of delicious samples of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian milk.

Grand Champions Guy McLintock and Lorraine Phan with their wheels of Verdelait.

Renowned Canadian and award-winning stand-up comic, improviser, actor and writer from Western Canada, Roman Danylo, hosted the days’ festivities, which involved 11 race heats before the final Grand Championship races.

For the fourth consecutive year, Brisitsh Columbia cheesemaker Natural Pastures produced the special 11-pound wheels of delicious Cracked Pepper Verdelait for the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival. Verdelait is the delicious, award-winning blend of cheddar, Dutch gouda and Swiss raclette, developed by Natural Pastures in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Verdelait is the base for the five flavoured cheeses. Versatile and wonderful for cooking, grating, fondues, sandwiches, it melts beautifully.

Arla Foods, Awards, Black River Cheese, Cheese business, Cow cheese, Cows Creamery, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Fromagerie Blackburn, Fromagerie du Presbytère, Fromagerie La Suisse Normandie, Fromagerie Perron, Glengarry Fine Cheese, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Gurth Pretty, International Cheese, Le Belle de Jersey, Le Bleu d'Élizabeth, Louis d'Or, Mont Jacob, Natural Pastures Cheese

Louis d’Or: Best of the best in Canadian Cheese Grand Prix

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The smiling-cow tie worn by Grand Champion Jean Morin breaks up TV personalities Anne-Marie Withenshaw and Ben Mulroney at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Gala of Champions.

It was an unforgettable evening for cheesemaker Jean Morin, his brother, Dominic, and associate cheesemaker Dany Grimard.

Louis d’Or, the extraordinary cheese they make at Fromagerie du Presbytère, was declared Grand Champion—the best of the best—at the 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix last night.

Additionally, in an unprecedented awards sweep, Louis d’Or was named champion in three different categories:

  • Firm cheese
  • Farmstead cheese
  • Organic cheese

On top of that, their fabulous Bleu d’Élizabeth was selected champion in the blue-cheese category!

Clearly, Jean Morin was the happiest and proudest cheese producer in Canada last night as the Gala of Champions unfolded at Palais Royale in Toronto, scene of a lavish awards ceremony cum cheese-tasting organized by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sponsors of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.

Dominic Morin, Dany Grimard and Jean Morin are flanked by Phil Bélanger, Grand Prix jury chair, and Ben Mulroney, TV personality and co-MC at the Gala of Champions.

In his acceptance speech, Jean was quick to give credit to his brother, Dominic, who looks after their herd of cows, and to Dany Grimard, who runs the make room in the former rectory that serves as the creamery across the street from their farm in Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick two hours east of Montréal.

Jean and Dominic are fourth-generation dairy farmers who have found amazing success as first-generation cheese producers in a few short years. What’s the secret of their success?

“Happy, healthy cows,” Jean says. “It all starts with the milk, and the care we show the cheese as we make it.”

Appropriately, smiling cows adorned the tie Jean wore to the awards gala.

Quadruple-award-winner Louis dOr from Fromagerie du Presbytère.

Phil Bélanger, chair of the 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Jury and president of the New Brunswick Chapter of La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, had this to say about Louis d’Or:

“The milky richness of this cheese is a tribute to the organic milk with which it is made. The cheese has a smooth texture, warm nutty and floral notes in aroma and taste. Inspired by the traditional cheesemaking know-how from the Jura region, the cheesemaker created an amazing cheese.”

Louis d’Or is truly a magnificent cheese, with fine, complex flavours, eloquently expressed after nine months of ripening. The Louis d’Or cheese gets its name from the Louis d’Or Farm, which produces the organic milk used to make it. The name of the cheese also refers to the French currency of the same name used under the reign of Louis XIII in 1640.

The first opportunity for the public to taste Grand Prix winners in one place—and meet the makers such as Jean Morin—will be at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival on June 4-5 in Picton in Prince Edward County, Ontario’s newest wine region and fastest-growing culinary destination.

At the Festival, cheese expert and author Gurth Pretty, one of the Grand Prix judges, will lead a tutored tasting on cheese of Western Canada. Grand Prix champion Margaret Peters-Morris will conduct a demonstration of cheesemaking at home.

Here is the complete list of 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix winners, with asterisks indicating those already committed to taking part in The Great Canadian Cheese Festival:

Fresh cheese:

Soft cheese with bloomy rind:

Semi-soft cheese:

Washed-rind soft and semi-soft cheese:

Firm cheese:

Swiss-type cheese:

Mozzarella:

Blue cheese:

Flavoured cheese with added non-particulate flavouring:

Flavoured cheese with added particulate solids and flavouring:

Mild cheddar:

Medium cheddar:

Old and extra old cheddar:

Aged Cheddar (1-3 years):

  • Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island*

Aged Cheddar (4 years +):

Farmhouse cheese:

Organic cheese:

The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix is a competition sponsored and hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada, celebrating the high quality and proud tradition of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian cow’s milk.

For the 2011 competition, a record-breaking total of 203 cheeses from six provinces was submitted for judging in the competition.

A panel of Canada’s top cheese experts spent two days in Montréal rigorously tasting and evaluating the best cow-milk cheeses this country has to offer as they narrowed the field down to 51 cheeses in 17 categories.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs, cheesehead-in-chief at CheeseLover.ca, couldn’t believe his ears when Jean Morin mentioned him and the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival in his acceptance remarks.

Awards, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Great Canadian Cheese Festival

Canadian Cheese Grand Prix: Winners in real time on Twitter

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Tonight’s the night! The winners in the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix will be announced at a Gala of Champions in Toronto this evening.

I’m aiming to provide a live news feed on Twitter starting soon after six o’clock and continuing until the Grand Champion is named.

The reason there’s so much excitement around here about the Grand Prix is that the winners will presented at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival upcoming on June 4-5. It will be the first opportunity for cheese lovers to taste the winning cheeses in one place at one time.

During the Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair on Festival Sunday (June 5), Deborah Levy of Dairy Farmers of Canada will lead a tutored tasting of the winners. They’ll also be featured the Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala on Festival Saturday (June 4).

Click here for a look at the cheeses in the competition organized and sponsored by Dairy Famers of Canada. They represent the best in cow’s milk cheeses for sale in the country this year.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs, cheesehead-in-chief at CheeseLover.ca, is the founder and director of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

Dairy Farmers of Canada, Ivy Knight, Julia Rogers, Top Chef Canada, Video

Top Chef Canada: Attack of the Cheese top-secret no more

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UPDATE: CLICK TO VIEW EPISODE 2 IN ITS ENTIRETY

Judgment time at Top Chef Canada: Cheese is up next.

CLICK HERE FOR A PREVIEW OF THE CHEESE EPISODE

Former Susur Lee Sous-Chef Dustin Gallagher’s playful tussle with a large block of fromage in Episode 1 gave Top Chef Canada viewers a heads-up on a key ingredient in upcoming Episode 2: Canadian cheese!

Titled “Cheese, Glorious, Cheese” and airing on Food Network Canada on Monday at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT, the chefs battle with each other in typical Top Chef style with first a quickfire and then an elimination based on creating appetizing cheese dishes.  It’ll be quite a challenge for some, particularly Gordon Ramsay protégé Chef Dale Mackay who admits to not having much experience cooking with cheese, as well as Calgary Chef and Sommelier Rebekah Pearse who calls the challenge “a little tough.”

The chefs are given a range of Canadian cheeses from coast to coast. Will they use gouda from Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm in B.C., Alberta’s Sylvan Star Cheese, or Ontario’s Thunder Oak Cheese Farm?  Cheddar from Quebec’s Perron or Wilton’s Cheese Factory in Ontario?  Perhaps they will create from a hodgepodge of cheeses?  Selecting the wedges they know, the culinary contenders craft distinct plates for a cocktail party of 50 guests who help the judges in their selection of the second chef to be asked to pack his or her knives and go.

The most watched original premiere in Food Network Canada’s history, Top Chef Canada continues to vigorously protect its trade secret: the element of surprise. The cheeses procured and showcased? Guarded jealously. News of a guest judge from the cheese industry? Mum’s the word. We’ll have to watch Monday’s episode to find out!

—Gabi Gopie-Tree

Gabi has a law and politics background but her passion for food, wine, and entertainment developed from nearly a decade in Europe and the U.K. where, she discovered, many still find the time to enjoy the finer things in life. Gabi blogs about food, wine, music, travel, and life at poshbirdgabi.wordpress.com

Editor’s note:

It’s amazing how tightly shrouded in secrecy the producers of Top Chef Canada like to keep their show before it airs. Witness the scant information CheeserLover.ca was able to obtain for the above report.

No mention of even the basics, such as Dairy Farmers of Canada being the sponsor of the episode and provider of the cheese.

Even cheese and wine expert Julia Rogers, a good friend and supporter and presenter at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival we’re organized, wouldn’t say boo when we emailed for confirmation about her serving as the guest judge on Episode 2.

“Sorry, but I signed a confidentiality agreement as thick and detailed as could be. I will not be able to comment on anything you ask prior to the show airing, except to say that the challenge involved Canadian cheese,” she emailed.

But, if the truth were known, Julia did post this tidbit on her Facebook page:

Top Chef Canada spoiler alert . . . On Monday, watch me judge contestants’ cocktail party cheese offerings with as much integrity as possible, while wearing false eyelashes and losing the microphone down my dress.

From other sources, we learned:

Monday’s episode of Top Chef Canada on the Food Network will be all about CHEESE!  The episode will be the main ingredient in the two key challenges in the show and will be featured prominently throughout the show.

The first challenge of the show is the “Quickfire Challenge” that measures specific skill sets of the competitors. For the challenge, a table full of cheeses made from 100% Canadian Milk will be unveiled to the competitors and they will be asked to create a dish using as many cheeses as they wish and then describe the dish and the inspiration behind it.

In the “Elimination Challenge,” the competitors will be divided into teams and will be given a specific Canadian Cheese and a meal course to work within. The chefs must then create a dish around their kind of cheese that works within the corresponding course in the dinner service—which is at an actual function. This challenge will showcase the versatility and variety of Canadian cheese.

We’ve posted the video clip that is posted on the Food Network Canada website at the top of this post. Those who are unable to watch the show Monday night will be able to view it on the website Tuesday.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheesehead-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca. He’ll have a tape in the old VCR on Monday night as he and SO will be at the Drake Hotel taking in the Battle of Paté organized by Ivy Knight as part of her 86’d series of fun food events.