The final episode of the Food Network's Receipe to Riches airs tonight at 10 PM. As the winner of the cake category, NSCC grad Jacqui Keseluk is in the finale competing for the title of Canada's best home chef.

Good luck Jacqui!

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…two tickets for the wine and food event at Akerley!

Happy December everyone, although it feels more like September out there...

I wanted to share with you all details of a very exciting event that is happening here at Akerley Campus, organized and exeuted by the Tourism Management and Culinary Arts programs.  The learners are really excited to share all that they have learned this semester during their wine courses and to prove their wine and food pairing skills they have teamed up together to present a special evening of food and wine!

Join us Wednesday, December 14th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm to sip and nibble your way through an evening of spectacular food and wine pairings. It will an evening of celebration and a perfect opportunity to engage with our creative learners to gather tips about pairing food and wine just in time for holiday entertaining!

Mark it on your calendars and call today for tickets!

Tickets are $45/person and part of the proceeds will go towards Feed Nova Scotia.

For additional information, please contact Amy Savoury at 491-4972 or by e-mail at amy.savoury@nscc.ca

Look forward to hearing from you….

Cheers,
Amy

Jacqui Keseluk loves cake. Her passion for all things sweet encouraged her to enter the Recipe to Riches contest. Recipe to Riches is a new competitive reality series airing on the Food Network where, each week, Canadian home cooks battle to have their original recipes become a President’s Choice product and win $25,000. Jacqui’s Multi-Layered Peach Cake not only netted her $25,000 but also a chance to win the grand prize of $250,000.

Jacqui graduated from the Baking & Pastry Art program at Akerley Campus in 2011 and the Culinary Arts program in 2010. With visions of opening her own café and pastry shop, the grand prize would go a long way to turning this dream into reality.

“It’s been my dream since I was 15 years old. If I win the competition, I’ll be using the prize money to open a business in my home community of Fall River,” says Jacqui.

Vote for Jacqui December 7-9
If you want to help Jacqui win the $250,000, vote for her online. Voting opens Wednesday, December 7 and runs until December 9 at midnight.

The traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings certainly poses a challenge when trying to find the perfect wine to accompany all the flavours of a meal of this style. If your Thanksgiving day feast is anything like mine the table is usually full with an array of flavours laid out on the table for a free for all to be dished out on the plate. My challenge is always finding the room on my plate and in my belly to try everything. And when it comes to finding one wine to go with everything, I say why try one wine when you could have many! A sure fire way to satisfy your guests is to pick some really food friendly grapes, like a crisp Riesling or a fruit filled Pinot Noir. These grapes tend to make wines that will shine with any food. Most of our Nova Scotia wines are awesome food partners and this is the route that I like to go. On my table this year I will be laying down as many bottles of wine as there are side dishes to go with the turkey. There will be many styles of wine to shine, not only with all the dishes on the table but also to satisfy the palates of the many family and friends that will be gathered around the table! I will have whites, reds and roses and maybe even a bottle of bubbly…after all it is a celebration! Here’s what will be on my table this Thanksgiving feast!! (all wines suggested are available at a NSLC near you)

Nova Scotia Selections:

• Gaspereau Vineyards, Seyval Blanc
• L’Acadie Vineyards, Prestige Brut Sparkling
• Domaine de Grand Pre, Moulin Rouge
• Avondale Sky, Tidal Bay
• Blomidon Estate Winery, Rose

Great Value Selections:

• Canaletto, Pinot Noir: Italy
• Cono Sur, Riesling: Chile

Every year when the temperature dips and I have to turn the furnace on for the first time I get a slight feeling of sorrow for the summer that has passed! This happened to me last night and I have to be honest there was even a tear in my eye when I finally fired up the beast in the basement! As the wave of warmth slowly filled the house I started to feel a wee bit better and felt a whole lot better, almost joyful, when I saw the weather forecast for this weekend! Perhaps summer isn’t lost and with the sunshine and warmer temperatures returning, even for a few days, I began rejoicing in all the wonderful things that Fall has to offer! There are many things to be thankful for this weekend, for one I may be able to turn the furnace off for a couple of days but more importantly it is a long weekend, Thanksgiving! A time that will hopefully be filled with plenty of food and wine shared with friends and family! It is also an exciting time for the Nova Scotia wineries and grape farmers throughout the province as the harvest has begun in some cases or is drawing imminently near for others. Another reason to celebrate this weekend is the newest member of the Nova Scotia wine family, Avondale Sky Winery, is having their official grand opening celebrations on Saturday! With so much to be thankful for I would like to toast Fall this weekend and all the passionate producers around the province that keep my glass full of Nova Scotia wine and keep food on my table! I shall honour you all this weekend by eating and drinking my fair share…perhaps even over indulging a little bit….and not once will I feel sad that Fall is officially here!

PS. There is still time to register for one of my Fall courses, Wine Tasting or Wine Uncorked…yet another reason to celebrate! Check out the course details at coned.nscc.ca

Wine of the Week

Avondale Sky, 2010 Tidal Bay

(available at the winery and select NSLC locations and Private Wine Outlets)

I had the pleasure a few weeks back to leave work early on a bright sunny day and head to Avondale Sky Winery for a visit and a tasting! Located on the Avon peninsula, it was a stunning drive through the rolling hills and following the flow of the tide of the St. Croix and Avon Rivers. When I finally arrived at the winery (a short 45 minute drive from the city) I was overwhelmed by the stunning stature of the wine shop…the floating church from Walton! And the wines were equally as impressive…a must try is their 2010 Tidal Bay. It is a stunning blend of L’Acadie Blanc and Geisenheim grapes beautifully crafted by their young, talented winemaker Ben Swetnam. It is a wine that encapsulates what Nova Scotia wine is all about. It is wonderfully aromatic filled with aromas of candied citrus and hints fresh garden herbs. On the palate it is off-dry and nicely balanced with a bright, vibrant kick of acidity on the finish.  A great wine to impress your friends and family with…try it chilled on the deck as you soak up the sunshine this weekend!

Avondale Sky Winery

Wow hard to believe it’s already the end of September! The fall is always a fun time of meeting new students, introducing them to world of wine, getting a chance to visit our local vineyards and markets and of course taking part in many great local wine events.

I plan to get back in the swing of things with regular blog posts including a pick of the week. In the meantime, if you’re interested in evening classes, I have two upcoming sessions of Wine Uncorked – one in Halifax at NSCC’s Institute of Technology Campus (starts October 6) and one in Dartmouth at the NSCC Akerley Campus (starts November 3). I’m also looking forward to offering a brand new course this fall – Wine Tasting: Learn to Taste Wine Like a Pro. There is still time to register - check out the course details at coned.nscc.ca .

And hope to see you at some of the other wine events – the Nova Scotia Fall Wine Festival is underway and ends October 15 and the Port of Wines Festival taking place this weekend.

Until next time. Cheers! 

Ten talented apprentice chefs from across Canada won the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural Right Some Good foodie adventure on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Four members of the NSCC family were among the winners of this nationwide culinary competition, receiving an all-expenses-paid opportunity to be a part of local history and polish their culinary skills alongside some of the world’s best! More information about this unique series of events can be found at www.RightSomeGood.ca, on Twitter or on Facebook!

Justin Yap, Akerley Campus
Dockside Delights in Little River Harbour
August 26, 2011

Justin believes that the Cape Breton Snow Crab is not only delicious and nutritious, but also an incredible traditional ingredient in Cape Breton’s own backyard! He used his love of local to create a unique recipe for Snow Crab Cakes that won him a spot in this event. He’ll bring his big skill and big dreams to Little River Harbour, where he will join the UK’s TV Chef Atul Kocchar (the first Indian Chef to receive a Michelin star rating!) and legendary local Chef Earlene Busch of Chanterelle Country Inn and Cottages. They’ll be serving up a menu full of culinary delights, set to the musical stylings of Angelo Spinnazzola & friends. 

Katie Wall, Marconi Campus
VIP Boarding at the Orangedale Train Station
August 27, 2011

When Katie thinks of blueberries she thinks of bright summer days, time spent with family and “home-cooked” meals. She channelled these memories to create a stunning grilled filet mignon dish with a blueberry demi-glace and perfectly prepared local sides. Katie will bring her attention to detail and love of local to the historical Orangedale Train Station and join famed Belgian Chef Vincent Masson and Sydney’s own Chef Troy Baglole of the NS Coast Guard College and Governor’s Pub & Restaurant. This exclusive event will serve five exquisite courses of finely prepared cuisine, while diners are serenaded by the sweets sounds of Norma MacDonald.

Brandy Currie, Marconi Campus
Celtic Roots at the Nova Scotia Gaelic College in St. Ann’s
August 29, 2011

Brandy brings her love of quality ingredients to the RIght Some Good table. She impressed judges with an impeccable Rosemary Spring Lamb Rack recipe and will impress foodies this summer when she joins the culinary team for the August 29 event at the Nova Scotia Gaelic College. She will work alongside Spain’s Chef Miguel Angel Millàn and Chef Adam Brenner of the Bras d’Or Lakes Inn for this unique dining experience in the college’s impressive Great Hall of the Clans. Music from Cape Breton’s talented young group The Cottars will accompany this tasty dining experience.

Martha MacDonald, Strait Area Campus
Cuisine By Candlelight in Fortress Louisbourg
September 4, 2011

Irish Moss is a tradition in Martha’s family and she has been collecting the nutritious plant from Nova Scotia’s shores since she was a child. By adding contemporary, chocolate flair to her traditional Seaweed Pudding recipe, Martha hopes to help bring this Cape Breton culinary tradition back to life! She will bring her passion and award-winning skill to work alongside French Chef Christopher Coutanceau and local Chef Scott Morrison of Flavor & Flavor 19 in Sydney. Their multi-course creations will be perfectly paired with an intimate, candlelit performance from the incredible Bruce Guthro.

View Martha MacDonald's winning pear recipe.

Savory Pear Appetizer Plate

Congratulations to Martha MacDonald, a student at NSCC Strait Area Campus in Port Hawkesbury, on winning the USA Pears “Pear Excellence” Canadian Culinary Student Recipe Competition. Martha took top honors for her Roasted Green Anjou Pear stuffed with a savory mixture that included pork and “Dragon’s Breath” blue cheese from That Dutchman’s Farm in Nova Scotia. Judges deemed her recipe “innovative” and felt it was a delicious representation of USA Pears.

The competition was held on Tuesday, April 12, at Academie Culinaire in Montreal. Martha represented the Atlantic Canada region and competed against Amy Bonchuk of Assiniboine Community College/Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts, representing the Prairies Region; Melissa Drutz, George Brown College, representing the Ontario Region; Greg MacIver, LaSalle College, representing the Quebec Region; and Jeffrey Parks, Vancouver Island University, representing the British Columbia Region.

The culinary team from NSCC Akerley Campus took top prize at the 2011 Atlantic Provinces Culinary Exhibition which took place in St. John's, Newfoundland over the past weekend. The competition brings together teams from NSCC (NS), the Culinary Institute of Canada (PEI), NBCC (NB) and the College of the North Atlantic (NF).

NSCC won Best Appetizer, Best Main Course, Best Dessert, Best Kitchen and the overall Grand Prize. Team Newfoundland won the Silver Medal, and PEI won the Bronze. This marks the 4th straight year that NSCC has won the competition.

Congratulations to the Akerley team - Jacqui Keseluk, Jacob Oickle, John Saulnier, Dan Vorstermans, Tim Webber and manager/coach Chef Instructor Sean Kettley.