Squamish resident Tristan Toderan’s passion for cooking will be taking him overseas for an international culinary competition.
As a graduate of Vancouver Community College’s ACE-It culinary program, Toderan will be working alongside a classmate to compete as a team in the 2017 World Master Chefs Competition for Cantonese Cuisine in Hong Kong, as well as a culinary exchange in Guangdong, China.
Together, Toderan and his partner will be preparing a tea-smoked crocker with soy caviar and a lemon-grass broth. Their dish will go in front of a panel of judges who will be assessing food prepared from teams all over the world.
Because Troderan and his partner know exactly what they will be cooking, they have been busy practicing.
Toderan explains that practice has paid off and the skills they originally struggled with – such as getting the deep-fried egg the perfect consistency to compliment the rest of the dish – have been solved.
Toderan began refining his cooking skills through the ACE-It program’s Culinary Arts division, which was offered to Grade 12 students at Howe Sound Secondary. He says that the ACE-It program was an amazing opportunity to cultivate his passion for cooking – Toderan recommends the program to curious high schoolers.
After graduating high school, Toderan went on to attend Vancouver Community College’s level-two culinary arts program and specialize in Asian cooking.
Toderan said that, for him, cooking Cantonese cuisine was fun and that he picked up techniques quickly. This led him to get noticed and eventually invited to represent Vancouver Community College at the World Master Chefs Competition for Cantonese Cuisine.
When asked if he ever thought he would be cooking at a competitive level, Toderan explained that being invited to a competition of this caliber was unexpected and that he is super excited to be able to go to both in Hong Kong and China.
