My Journey to the Chopped Kitchen by @skylarsinow @kidsccg
Back in February my good buddy Vikram Vij @EatDrinkVijs told us that Chopped Canada was looking for Teens to compete in their first ever Chopped Canada Teen Tournament. It was such a super exciting fun ride getting to the Chopped Kitchen - there was applications & interviews & pictures to be sent & then waiting, will I get picked or won’t I. There’s doubt, am I good enough? I know I have the passion - it was a bit of a roller coaster. Once I heard that I had been selected there was lots & lots of practicing against the clock. Lots of kitchen cleanup, lots of great meals & of course a few fails.
I have had some awesome mentors along the way as I prepped for competition. Chef Darren Brown @chefdarrenbrown was one of them. He came to my kitchen armed with duck, pork & beef & we got down to learning about how to break down these different proteins, how to do this with little waste and also against the clock. My WÜSTHOF Knives got a great workout! He had so many great tips & so many great kitchen war stories. When Chef D left, he also left A Lot of meat to practice with. We had it for breakfast, lunch & dinner - sharing the #testkitchen recipes with friends.
On another day the focus was things from the sea. We met at Granville Island & he introduced me to some of his favorite places to go in the market & how to choose the best seafood - such an amazing cool experience. After the shopping it was back to our kitchen to learn about deboning fish, shucking oysters, & cooking crab. We spent hours together and I am very grateful for his mentoring.
It’s often said to get started in the kitchen all you really need is 3 knives, a good chef knife, a pairing knife & a serrated bread knife. During these sessions with Chef D I learned how to properly use all my other knives & I continue to practice & attempt to perfect at every opportunity.
During this journey of preparing for the Chopped Kitchen I also got some hands on instruction on making a mean #Masala from my mentor Vikram Vij. Learning to combine indian spices from Vikram is like art you can eat. #delicious art.
I had a lot of fun & support prepping for this competition & the outcome is with every meal I cook I get a little bit better & you can to - KIDS GET IN THE KITCHEN. Learn where you food comes from & how to prepare it. You will be healthier, you will have fun & you will learn cool stuff.
Having fun in the kitchen & working on creating yummy food is one thing, but racing against the clock is quite another.
Heading to Toronto. So the big day is almost here & I head to Toronto with my mom - it’s fun we tour the city on bikes, visit the market & eat lots of yummy food.
The day of the competition I’m excited but nervous, I’m prepared, I have my knives, I think I have a game plan
Let’s go!
Link to Chopped Canada Teen Tournament - In a Deep Fried Pickle
