Last night, Toronto’s The Chef Collective held its first culinary battle in roughly three years, and after an intense hourlong competition at Boehmer restaurant, chef Sam Medeiros was crowned the winner.
In addition to the bragging rights that come with winning the Collective’s inaugural battle of the post-pandemic era, chef Medeiros also won two round-trip tickets to Lima, Peru, $1,000 in spending money, and a $2,000 credit toward professional shared kitchen space Syzl.
The chefs were tasked with creating a three-course dinner highlighting Ontario beef, Meyer Natural, and Egg Farmers of Ontario, and the Top 30 Under 30 winner managed to impress the judges with a beef tenderloin egg roll with lime vinaigrette, pear and toasted sesame; a beef striploin katsu with nduja, fresh oyster sauce, kumquat, radish, and celery; and a cinnamon sugar churro with chocolate dip and Baileys for dessert.
Chef Medeiros edged out Top Chef Canada alum Imrun Texeira, who received a Vitamix prize package for his second place finish, and The Heartbreak Chef Jerome Robinson, who took home third place and an Anova Culinary prize package.
The Chef Collective has yet to reveal when and where the next battle will take place, so keep an eye on its Instagram account for up-to-date announcements.
