Here’s What Happened at Last Night’s ‘Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Vancouver’

We were in the crowd at the Westin Bayshore last night, for the ninth and final Canada’s Great Kitchen Party regional qualifier, to see Chef Bobby Milheron (Homer St. Cafe & Bar, Tableau Bar Bistro, Maxine’s Cafe & Bar) walk away with the gold, as well as the People’s Choice Award. His awarding-winning dish: lightly smoked Canadian Geoduck with B.C. spot prawn terrine, pickled bull kelp, sunchoke, and shellfish jus, paired with Mission Hill Reserve Rosé 2021.

Chef Milheron faced off against four fellow local chefs – Sandy Chen (Archer), Scott Korzack (Bacaro), Vish Mayekar (Caffè La Tana, Pepino’s), and Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun (Maenam) – for the opportunity to rep Vancouver at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa (February 3-4, 2023). Milheron will be competing against eight other extraordinary chefs, hailing from culinary hotspots across Canada, with the hopes of succeeding the previous title holder, Chef Roger Ma (Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar).

Thursday night’s top honour was decided by a line-up of seven judges: Head Judge James Chatto, Senior Judge Joie Alvaro Kent, 2020 Canadian Culinary Championship Gold Medallist Roger Ma, Andrea Carlson (Burdock & Co, Harvest Community Foods, Bar Gobo), Chef Hamid Salimian (VCC Culinary Arts), Chef Douglas Chang (Ai & Om Knives), and Sid Cross (Chef’s Table Society).

Other Vancouver Kitchen Party honours of the night were as follows:

Second Place: Thachaya “Mike” Tuangkitkun (Maenam) who made a fragrant Southern Thai-style Turmeric Curry with B.C. sockeye salmon, mussel, side-striped prawn, fresh young coconut, and squid-ink cracker dusted with “Tom Yum” seasoning, alongside Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2020

Third Place: Vish Mayekar (Caffè La Tana and Pepino’s Spaghetti House) with a Lamb Agnolotti and Seared Scallop in South Indian Curry Sauce, with curry-leaf foam and lime crumb, accompanied by Artakama Roussanne/Viognier 2021, Oliver, B.C.

Congrats to all of the awesome Vancouver chefs who participated in this year’s event! Check out our image of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party Vancouver in the gallery below…