USA Pears/Pear Bureau Northwest will be bringing five Canadian culinary students to compete in Montreal for the title of National Grand Prize in the eighth annual Pear Excellence Culinary Student Competition.
The competition takes place on Tuesday 14 April at école des métiers de la restauration et du tourisme de Montréal.
Regional finalists, selected by chef judging teams in British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes, will have three hours to prepare their recipe for tasting and presentation on 14 April. Beginning at noon, the students will present their dishes to the judging panel of local media and culinary school representatives.
This competition marks the culmination of the culinary programme taught by national food educator Wendy Barrett. Each year for the past eight years, Barrett has visited 40 culinary schools across the country. She teaches a hands-on class, and students learn to make 6-10 pear recipes during Barrett’s visit, including everything from appetisers to desserts.
Each competitor in the Pear Excellence finals will win US$1,000, with their schools receiving US$300 in scholarship funds. The national grand prize winner will win US$2,500, and his/her school will win US$500 in scholarship funds.
The live competition includes a People’s Choice award chosen by the audience members, who have the chance to taste each of the final recipes.
