Chef Mike Robbins’ visually stunning—and delicious—savoury blueberry perogies and pork belly carried the day for the Oakwood Canadian Bistro
I didn’t have to think twice before accepting an invitation to commit the best part of a day to judging the first annual Frozen BC Blueberries Chefs’ Invitational. After all, for a guy who’s been known on occasion to be a tad careless about taking his vitamin C, what could be better than an antioxidant laden romp around seven Vancouver restos, whose chefs were anxious to show off their blueberry prowess.
Fairmont Pacific Rim executive chef Darren Brown: in the heat of the action
… And the end result: Oru’s understated but edgy paté brisée with poached leek and salsify white chocolate purée, with blueberry compote
Besides, competitions appeal to me. Yes, it sounds hackneyed. But they really do bring out the best in people. Plus, the great reward is that the judges walk away with a snapshot reminder of just how varied and vibrant a food scene we in Vancouver enjoy—and all too often take for granted.
In a culinary world driven by so strong a regional / seasonal mantra, there’s always incentive to offer local ingredients year round, which makes frozen BC blueberries ideal, as all of these entries proved.
Chef Sean Murray’s dazzling presentation of pork belly and scallop on blueberries, with watercress, paired with a superb Long Table gin and Pinot Noir cocktail – Yew at Four Seasons
The contrasting kitchens yielded plenty to appreciate on the palate. But most of all they served up a smorgasbord of creativity and skill—all in the name of the humble (but increasingly celebrated) BC blueberry.
Calabash’s Blue-tit El Dorado cocktail, with star anise, blueberry juice and blueberry dust, was an unexpected bonus…
—and a great match with chef Cullin David’s duck confit and blueberry tamarind glaze, and jerk pork belly! It’s on the menu for a couple more weeks.
What’s behind the event?
From the release:
“The Frozen BC Blueberry Chefs’ Invitational was held in support of Vancouver-based school program Project CHEF, as they kicked off another school year of teaching children about healthy food with a donated supply of BC Blueberries from local growers, plus a $500 grant to help facilitate the in-class program. Being an abundant and tasty local ingredient packed with antioxidants, frozen BC blueberries fit perfectly into the curriculum. The competition was also created to boost the profile of the delicious and nutritious frozen superfood with local chefs to keep local berries top of mind year round.”
At newcomer Seventeen89, Chef Daryle Reo Nagata came up with a tasty steam pudding and ginger variation—with blueberries, of course. A regular dessert menu item.
Each of the chefs received 30 lbs of frozen BC blueberries to help them develop their recipe—and they all commented on the quality of the berries, which were truly flavourful and intact.
Another standout: Wild Rice chef Todd Bright’s scallop with duck confit, blueberry pot stickers and blueberry Szechuan jus
Hearty congrats to Mike Robbins of The Oakwood Canadian Bistro for his intricately assembled and gorgeously presented blueberry perogies with blueberry gel and buttermilk sour cream. (top) He gets to enjoy a “Frozen in Whistler” Four Seasons weekend getaway—as well as to everyone else who took considerable time and energy to enter.
Fable Kitchen chef Trevor Bird’s classic Linzer crust blueberry lavender tart
And yes, everything truly was was as tasty as it looks …
Kudos to all:
Chef Cullin David of Calabash Bistro, Chef Todd Bright of Wild Rice, Chef Sean Murray of YEW seafood + bar, Chef Trevor Bird of Fable Kitchen, Chef Daryle Ryo Nagata of the new Seventeen89 Restaurant & Lounge, Chef Darren Brown of Oru and Chef Mike Robbins of The Oakwood Canadian Bistro.
[…] One day a few of us media types whirled around Vancouver tasting impressive blueberry creations by chefs around town. At the end of the day we picked a winner. And, yes, we were very (and happily) full of BC […]