The National Young Chefs Competition

Concours National des Jeunes Chefs Rôt isseurs Halifax 2022

Canada’s best young chefs battled it out at this year’s national Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs competition on Saturday, October 22nd at the Nova Scotia Community College’s state-of-the-art Kingstec Campus. The winner of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs gold medal will earned the right to represent Canada at the 2023 Concours International des Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs in Istanbul, Turkey.

NSCC’s Kingstec Campus.

Located in Nova Scotia's thriving wine region, Kingstec Campus has undergone extensive renovations creating a bright, modern learning environment. The campus features a full-service cafeteria, Nosh café and a fine-dining restaurant offering high-quality, delicious meals. Other unique offerings include a viticulture program with its own educational winery and vineyard.

The four contestants were all regional winners, representing the following Bailliages and sponsoring restaurants (from east to west):

Nova Scotia Ethan Green

The Half Shell Oyster and Seafood, Lunenburg

New Brunswick Jean-Denis Roussel Atelier

Tony Restaurant, Dieppe, NB

Manitoba Mark Gingco

Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg, MB

Calgary Connor Fenton

Teatro Restaurant, Calgary, AB

The kitchen action heats up.

Using the contents of a very challenging “black box,” the young chefs were given four hours in which to create a menu; and prepare and serve an appetizer, a main course and a dessert for four. Each chef's written menu had to be completed within the first halfhour, with three and a half hours allowed for preparation. In the black box, the competitors found the following compulsory items (protein items outlined one month before the competition): 10/20 Scallops, Whole duck, Whole fresh New Brunswick seabass, Barley, Spaghetti squash, Brussel Sprouts and Blueberries. Non-compulsory items included various vegetables, fruits, liquors and fresh herbs.

Compulsory items in the Black Box.

Contestants were judged on taste, originality, creativity, presentation, portion size, nutrition, dress, kitchen cleanliness and timing by a team of professional and nonprofessional judges, under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Cameron Huley, Conseiller Culinaire du Canada.

"This competition is unlike any other in the world," said David Tétrault, Membre du Conseil d’Administration and President of the Concours International. "It is a true black box for a specific age group of young chefs. It is difficult and it is stressful. It is judged by accomplished professional member chefs. Competitions like this rely on the expertise and unbiased fairness of both the Kitchen Judges and the Tasting judges. We thank them for their commitment”.

Kitchen judges (left to right) Peter Dewar, Chris Corkum and Brennan Madill discuss the event with Cameron Huley, Conseiller Culinaire du Canada.

The kitchen judges were:

Brennan Madill, Nova Scotia Vice-Conseiller Culinaire Peter Dewar, Maître Rôtisseur Honoraire Chris Corkum

The dining room judges included:

Jason Lynch, Maître Rôtisseur Thomas Carey, Nova Scotia Vice-Conseiller Culinaire Honoraire Paul Thimot, NSCC Kingstec

Tasting judges (left to right) Jason Lynch, Paul Thimot and Thomas Carey. Nova Social Media & Marketing Photos courtesy

On Saturday evening, Executive Chef Cameron Huley, Conseiller Culinaire du Canada and judge at the National Jeune Chefs competition, acknowledged the four young competitors in the front row, where they anxiously awaited the results of the competition. Each of the competitors was presented with a medal, certificate and a Wüsthof knife as participants.

Cameron Huley, Conseiller Culinaire du Canada, announces the winners.

The presentations began with the awarding of the highest kitchen score winner. The winner of this segment of the competition is recognized with the Chef Paul Mastalir Award for Kitchen Excellence along with a Wüsthof Knife attaché set. For the 2022 competition, the winner was Jean-Denis Roussel from Atelier Tony Restaurant in Dieppe, NB.

After thanking Kingstec Campus for their amazing kitchen facilities; NSCC Chef Instructor (and Nova Scotia Maître Rôtisseur Honoraire) Peter Dewar for organizing the kitchen stations, common table, and tasting room; the Halifax Jeune Chefs team for their organization; and recognizing the kitchen and tasting judges, Chef Huley announced the winners of the National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs competition for 2022. After finishing second at last year’s 2021 National finals in Winnipeg, the winner of the gold medal and the Fulgence Charpentier trophy was Nova Scotia’s Ethan Green from The Half Shell Oyster and Seafood, Lunenburg, NS. Ethan has now earned the right to represent Canada at the 2023 Concours International des Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs in Istanbul, Turkey. The silver medal was presented to Calgary’s Connor Fenton from Teatro Restaurant. The bronze medallist was Manitoba’s Mark Gingco from the Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg, MB.

All competitors were winners! (left to right) Jean-Denis Roussel, Award for Kitchen Excellence; Connor Fenton, Silver medal; Ethan Green, Gold Medal; Mark Gingco, Bronze Medal.

Next year’s Canadian national competition will be held on Saturday October 21, 2023 in Toronto.

The Winning Menu

Appetizer/Ent rée

Seared Seab ass, Scallop Cerviche Served with T om ato Puree, Braised Leek , Pick led Shallot, Crispy Brussel Sprouts and Parsle y O il

Ma in Cour se/ Plat p rincipa l

Seared Du ck B reast, Braised Duck Leg and Barley R agu Served with Chick en Veloute, Spaghetti Squash Puree, Roasted Carrots, and Cr ispy Duck Sk in

Dess ert/De ss ert

Dark Chocolate M ousse Served with Blueberr y Coulis, Lem on and Alm ond Crum b, Mango Sorbet, Spiced T uille, Candied Mango and C andied Lem on Rinds

Winning appetizer

Winning main course

Winning dessert Nova Social Media & Marketing Photos courtesy

Want t o support Chaine Canada's Jeunes Chef Rôtisseur s Competition?

Con sid er makin g a t ax d ed u ct ib le con t rib ut ion t o t h e Ch aine Ch arit ab le Fou nd at ion .

Thanks to our Event Sponsors: Wüsthof; Uniglobe Lexus Travel and Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar Inc.

We would also like to thank the following for their substantial cash and product donations: Acadian Seaplants Limited Fidelity Investments Canada ULC INSIGHT Wealth Management Sysco Halifax

Email Tony Catanese, Foundat ion Pr esident at t ony.n.cat anese@gmail.com

Ethan Green.

Raised and currently living in Lunenburg, Ethan found a passion for cooking at a very young age, asking to ‘help’ his parents by pulling a chair up to the stove and manning a station. Encouraged and enjoying his time in the kitchen at home, he continued exploring his culinary interest and at 15 reached out to a local chef, who gave him an entry opportunity into the business in his professional kitchen. Never discouraged, he washed dishes and ran for the chefs, doing what he could to help out. He has continued his career with Executive Chef Martin Ruiz Salvador, Maître Rôtisseur in a variety of establishments, and increasing levels of responsibility, in the Lunenburg area from 2016 to the present day. At 17, during service, a situation arose that found Ethan helping by working the line. He fell in love. While balancing school, sports and work commitments, he would never say no in picking up whatever shifts he could, prepping and doing what was needed.

The picture of concentration.

Following his graduation from High School at 18, Ethan attended the culinary programs at Nova Scotia Community College for two years, achieving both his culinary skills and culinary management diplomas.

Ethan hard at work during competition preparing his menu.

Always the hard worker, he maintained a full-time work schedule during the same time. While at NSCC, Ethan was awarded the Lieutenant Governor Award of Culinary Excellence (2020) and the Victorinox Award of for Culinary Excellence (2020).

Ethan plates his main course. At 20, Ethan was invited to compete in Nova Scotia’s Provincial Chaine des Rôtisseurs, Concours des Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs’ competition for the first time, winning the Regional event. Then it was off to the Canadian Nationals held in Winnipeg, Manitoba that year (2021) where he was First Runner up. Undaunted, and sharpening his skills with constant practice over the next year, he entered and won Nova Scotia’s Regional Competition once again, moving on to compete in and win the 2022 National Competition held in Halifax.

Adding the Blueberry Coulis to his dessert.

At age 21, Ethan will be moving on to compete against as many as 25 young chefs from countries around the world in the 47th International Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in September 2023. While many of these competitors may be as old as 27, we have no doubt that Ethan’s unmatched drive and passion for his craft will stand him in good stead.

Even his hobbies are related to the culinary arts. Ethan likes to collect chef knives from around the world and spends what little down time he takes playing video games.