Exclusive guest report from Cdn Champs from Kelowna — current, and not the usual

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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Guest chef shares three to a room; mattress on the floor

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FEB 08 13 – 7:05 PM — I made special arrangements with Allyson Bycraft (photo, right), editor of the (now-defunct) FoodMODE magazine, to file more timely updates about our friend, Ottawa chef Jamie Stunt of Oz Kafê, in his intrepid journey as one of 10 vying to become Canadian Culinary Champion in far-away Kelowna B.C.

I wonder, why Kelowna of all places — year after year after year? Why not Whitehorse? Or Montreal? Toronto? Winnipeg? Edmonton? One wonders.

Here is the independent observer report you’re not getting elsewhere. She gets no free accommodation, she is unpaid for these reports. She is with our Ottawa chef.

Thank you so much, Allyson.

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Local boys thrilled to be at Gold Medal sleepover

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Just a couple of hours to go until Ottawa Gold Medal Plate winner, chef Jamie Stunt of Oz Kafé (below left) and his team, sous-chef Simon Bell and cook, Mike Bednarz, tackle the first of three competitions in the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Tonight is the Mystery Wine Pairing — 10 teams from across Canada were each given a bottle of a Canadian mystery wine last night at an opening reception. They have all day today to plan, shop for, and prepare a dish to match the wine, which will be served to 350 guests tonight. The challenge? They have a total budget of just $500 to get everyone fed.

I dropped in on the team last night, after the reception, to taste the mystery wine and see how they were feeling.

“We feel great!” Stunt said. “We’re really excited, and we feel like we’re really ready. Maybe too ready — we just want to get going.”

With such a lot potential riding on a win for Stunt and his team, he says he’s definitely feeling the pressure, but is trying hard to keep things cool and not add additional stress.

“I’m thrilled to have gotten this far. Whatever happens, I’m just happy to be here,” Stunt enthused.

The rest of his team seems to be of a similar mind, and it’s a good thing since they’re all sharing ONE room at the historic Eldorado Hotel — event headquarters on the shores of Lake Okanagan.

Their room is lovely, but by the time you cram an extra mattress into a small double room, along with the requirements of three chefs for a four-night stay, there’s not much floor space.

For now, they seem to be enjoying the pajama party atmosphere, but with the three of them spending several days together, 24/7, in a high-pressure situation, one wonders if they’ll come out of all this with their relationship intact. Time will tell.

More to come!

Thank you, Allyson. This is a different and more enlightening perspective Ottawa wants.

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Twitter: @roneade.com

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.