Members of Junior Culinary Team Canada stock up on ingredients they will need for their Culinary Olympics recipes at the Metro in Erfurt, Germany.
They may have the recipe for success, but first they have to secure the ingredients.
Grocery shopping became a team sport for members of Junior Culinary Team Canada on October 19.
With their first Culinary Olympics competition just days away, the team travelled to Erfurt where they set out on their shopping mission at a Metro store. Each item they will need was hand-picked with care. After all, each will be used to prepare food for the world’s top culinary judges at the largest most elite international professional culinary competition for chefs, cooks and pastry chefs.
“We basically went for a full run for all of our needs for both of our programs, with the exception of what I’ll say are specialty proteins and super unique items – you know, things like dry goods and dairy,” said team manager Craig Youdale.
Youdale noted that the shopping wasn’t only for competition purposes but to feed the team during their stay in Germany. “We have to cook our own lunch and dinner over the next few days,” he said.
Not all items required by the team however, are available off the shelf. Team captain Ben Lillico and coach Olaf Mertens travelled to Marburg – two-and-a-half hour drive away – to pick up specially-ordered items that are not typically available in grocery stores, including baby veg and micro greens.
“The idea is to get everything we need so we don’t ever have to leave the kitchen and we become completely self-sufficient, and not waste any energy or time,” Youdale said.
Team member Megan Proper, whose role focuses on pasty development, picked up the same dairy and frozen products that she previously had the opportunity to test out in Marburg – except for eggs. “We got different eggs but they should be fine,” she said.
Once the carts were loaded, items were checked out and the day’s shopping was completed, the team dropped off their ingredients at Stranzl kitchens, their practice kitchen in Marburg. This will allow them to begin scaling – the process of preparing the ingredients for their recipes in advance to the extent that the competition rules will allow – and prepping all of their ingredients and equipment on October 20.
With the team’s first competition merely days away, Proper noted she is looking forward to the next step ahead.
“There is a lot to do and I just want to get on it,” she said. “I just want everything to be there.”
Coach Avi Hollo, team captain Ben Lillico, coach Olaf Mertens and team member Megan Proper shop in the frozen food section.
Key dates
Opening ceremonies: October 21.
Competition Day 1 (edible buffet): Oct. 22
Competition Day 2 (three-course luncheon) on Oct. 24
Closing ceremonies: Oct. 26.
Cheer on Team Canada
Follow the team’s progress on twitter at @ncjrculinary, on facebook at @jrculinary, Instagram @jrculinarycanada, and on their website ncjrculinaryteamcanada.ca
Send text and video messages of encouragement to Junior Culinary Team Canada via social media using the hashtag #NCtasteforgold, #NCjrCulinaryTeamCA or #myncstory.
