Culinary Team Canada took home gold medals at the Expogast Culinary World Cup competition at the end of November in Luxembourg.
Chef Doug Overes, an instructor at Lethbridge College, was a member of the Canadian team. He said Team Canada took gold in the hot kitchen, a three-course lunch, and gold in the cold kitchen category.
"We placed fifth in the world," Overes said.
The top six teams, the only countries to win double gold, are Singapore, Sweden, United States, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. Three points separated the top five teams. Canada's team was new and only had five months of practice under its belt while most teams prepare for at least a year.
Canada has developed a culinary reputation, too. The three-course hot luncheon was sold out three weeks before Expogast started. On the menu were Canadian food products like Arctic char, lobster, bison, pork belly and chanterelle mushrooms. The menu included several desserts, including a warm hazelnut caramel fritter.
"It was exciting," Overes said. "It was a lot of work and a lack of sleep but the camaraderie was great."
Next up are the World Culinary Olympics held in Germany in 2012.
Caroline Zentner © 2010 The Lethbridge Herald. All rights reserved.