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media/newsBocuse d'Or Canada in the News | Media Releases | 2009 | 2007
“Representing Canada at the Bocuse d’Or is a great honour and to compete in the world’s most prestigious competition is an experience I will cherish forever.” Canada’s 2007 representative for the internationally renowned 2009 Bocuse d’Or competition in France has brought his award-winning talents into the classroom. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Vancouver is proud to welcome Chef David Wong as a full-time chef instructor in January 2008. David was born in Canada’s west coast city of Nanaimo, and it was there that his love of cooking developed. As is the case with many Asian families, food was central to his family life. His parents were in the grocery business, and it was not uncommon for David to accompany his father to buy produce. When not in the store they, would be tending the fruit trees, herbs and vegetables that filled the garden. He has fond memories of going to the beach to dig for clams and visiting the day boats in the docks to buy the fresh shrimp; activities that would reinforce a sincere respect for food that was at the core of his upbringing. Being involved in the preparation of traditional dishes at young age helped nurture his interest in cooking, but it was not to be his career choice, not yet anyway. He chose to help other people overcome obstacles in their lives and so completed his Bachelor of Social Work Degree and worked as a counselor for children in government care (developing skills that he finds useful in his work today) What was to be a relaxing holiday in Europe with wife Danielle turned out to be a life-altering journey as the food of Spain and particularly France inspired him to make a drastic change and pursue cooking as a career. After his holiday, he returned to school and completed the Food and Beverage Management program at Vancouver Community College and then the Culinary Arts Program at Malaspina University College. Under the tutelage of his instructors, he entered his first Culinary Salon and won a gold medal; other competitions would follow with the same high degree of success. In 2005, Dave was appointed to Culinary Team Canada which went on to win Gold in Le Salon Culinaire Mondial held in Basel, Switzerland. Other important awards include winning the 2001 Canadian National Apprentice Competition and in 2006 being recognized by Fairmont Hotels as the Company Leader of the Year which demonstrates his management abilities. That same year in Gatineau, Quebec, he fulfilled his dream of winning the right to represent Canada in the 2009 Bocuse d'Or. Dave began his apprenticeship at Vancouver’s Creek restaurant under renowned Executive Chef Robert Allen Sulatycky. It was there that he was exposed to the demands of the Bocuse d’Or. "I recall working under Chef Sulatycky, Canada’s 1999 Bocuse d’Or competitor. It was my first exposure to the competition and the intensity and level of perfection required seemed daunting. Since then, I have set my sights on participating in the Bocuse d’Or by entering as many competitions as I could. I feel confident in my preparations, but realize that ahead of me lay the most trying years in my career." To complete his apprenticeship he went to work for Chef Morgan Wilson, another Canadian Bocuse d'Or competitor, at the Delta Pinnacle Hotel, Vancouver. Later he would be recruited by Fairmont hotels and would work his way up to Executive Sous Chef at The Fairmont Vancouver Airport before transferring to Edmonton’s Fairmont Hotel Macdonald as the Executive Chef. David’s philosophy on cooking is to build a dish around a central technique, incorporating elements to achieve balance while maximizing the potential of each ingredient. It is this approach together with his work ethic which will help him succeed at the 2009 Bocuse d’Or. Today he juggles his time between his demanding position
as an instructor of culinary arts, the equally difficult task
of being a new parent and his commitment to the Bocuse d’Or.
When he is not working he devotes as much time as he can to
his family and cooking for his daughter Sydney.
"After competing on the world stage with Grace I know she is unquestionably the right person for the role of Bocuse d'Or Commis. Grace's execution is consistent and her preparations are exacting. Her dedication and passion is unwavering. We are fortunate to have Grace on the Team." David Wong, Canadian Chef Candidate, Bocuse d’Or 2009 In addition to each country sending a chef candidate to compete at the Bocuse d’Or they are required to send one assistant (who must not be more than twenty-two years of age). Finding a person with the essential skills, personality, maturity and who is prepared to devote the time required is difficult. Canada has been fortunate to have discovered Vancouver’s Grace Pineda, a composed young cook who possesses all the attributes, characteristics and poise needed to make Canada successful at the 2009 event. Grace was introduced to cooking as a career in 2002 when she enrolled in the Chef Training Career Prep Program at Carson Graham Secondary School. The high school program provided her with the opportunity to learn basic kitchen skills and theory in a functioning kitchen. As a 'hands on' learner this was an ideal situation for Grace and in due course her passion for cooking developed. Practical work experience in the city’s restaurants and hotels was an important part of the curriculum and provided Grace with her first introduction into a commercial kitchen at the Metropolitan Hotel's ‘Diva at the Met’ restaurant. The most significant lesson she took away from this experience was the importance of organization and professionalism. “… I felt a renewed enthusiasm about cooking after being immersed in a real, working kitchen with knowledgeable and passionate cooks,” she says. After completing the Chef Training Program she enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program at Vancouver Community College. In addition to her regular studies she volunteered to work with her chef instructors (including Culinary Team Canada manager John-Carlo Felicella) on numerous catering events organized by both the VCC and Culinary Team Canada. Her enthusiasm for participating in the extra curricular activities was rewarded when she was recruited by Felicella as a support member for Team Canada at the 2006 Culinary World Masters Competition in Basel, Switzerland. At this event she worked closely with David Wong in the production of his gold medal winning entry. She also became aware of the intense commitment needed to achieve ‘perfection’ in culinary competition and realized the extraordinary determination and passion fundamental to each team member; characteristics that she found inspiring and which further fueled her desire to become a chef. She began her apprenticeship in the kitchens of the prestigious Pan Pacific Hotel under the direction of renowned chef Ernst Dorfler. The experience of working in the different stations of the kitchen and the introduction to fine dining at the Five Sails Restaurant helped her refine her skills and develop into a well-rounded cook. Grace’s introduction to the Bocuse d’Or came in the summer of 2006 when she assisted chef Wayne Harris at the Canadian qualifying competition. While the couple did not win the right to represent Canada, Grace did gain valuable experience as well as a deeper understanding of the high expectations demanded by the Bocuse d’Or. Now that she has been selected for Canada’s Bocuse d’Or team, she is acutely aware of the unique opportunity ahead of her. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to assist Chef Wong in Lyon. As a young apprentice, the Bocuse d'Or is the journey of a lifetime.” When asked what her inclusion means for Canada, team coach Robert Sulatycky observes “Grace brings a fabulous sense of energy coupled with a keen eye for the finest detail which will pair well with David’s drive for perfection. There is no doubt that as a team they are poised to rise to the top of the Bocuse d’Or.”
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Canadian
Candidate 2009 – David Wong