It was a battle of spatulas in Montreal on Sunday as high school students competed for a chance to represent Canada at an upcoming cooking competition in Paris, Fra. Five teams from different schools took part in La Tablée des Chefs national final. Four were from Quebec, with one all the way from Manitoba. “These are the five best schools in the country,” said spokesperson and celebrity chef Ricardo. La Tablée des Chefs is a free after-school program in more than 300 schools across Canada. It teaches young people how to cook and tackle food insecurity by making the most of every ingredient. Ricardo explains that it’s more than just cooking; it’s also about building life skills like problem-solving and self-esteem. “Maybe they’re not the top in the class in math or French or whatever, but here they’re the top,” he said. On Sunday, the menu was fish and a smoothie, and a panel of judges decided who came out on top. The winner was Gordon Bell High School from Winnipeg. “Right now, if my parents leave me for a while, I’m not feeding on chips or noodles or something like that,” said student Yevhen Zinchenko. “I’m having proper meals.” The team also won the national title last year, and is now headed to Paris to face the French team once more. “The French humbled us,” said Zinchenko. “This time, with respect to everybody, we’re aiming for revenge.”
