NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair dishes up competition for 4 local chefs
Road to The Royal Chef Competition headed to Peterborough's Exhibition
TORONTO, Ont. (August 7, 2014) – Four of Peterborough's top chefs will put their creativity and
culinary skills to the test this weekend at the 169th Peterborough Ex — part of The Royal Agricultural
Winter Fair’s Road to The Royal Chef Challenge, presented by TSC Stores.
The chefs will square off against each other to dazzle the judges with their culinary skills. Award-winning
chef and author Ted Reader — known as one of Canada’s top barbecue authorities — will serve as Master
of Ceremonies for the competition.
“TSC is incredibly proud to partner with The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this year, especially as the
presenting sponsor for The Road to The Royal,“ said Darryl Jenkins, Chief Merchandising Officer at TSC
Stores. “The cooking competitions at the country fairs featuring local food connects well with our
customers. They value locally grown, farm fresh food and often plant their own gardens or crops to
harvest on their own land.”
“From feeding their families, their pets, or their animals, TSC understands how important food is for
everyday life in the country,” remarks Jenkins. “Our partnership with The Royal is a natural fit with the
farming, animal, and pet supplies that we carry at TSC, along with the planting and growing your own
food supplies that we offer. ”
Participating in Peterborough’s Road to the Royal Chef Challenge on Saturday, August 9 will be:
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Mark Andrade, Executive Chef at The Bridge Eatery and Public House in Cambellford.
Eelkje Visser, Sous Chef at Pane Vino in Lindsay.
Eric Kelso, Chef at Gerti's in Peterborough.
Trevor Edgerton, Chef at Berc’s Steakhouse in Peterborough.
Each chef is tasked to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert to present to the judges, all in under an
hour. Each dish will include a “secret ingredient” provided to the chefs at the beginning of the
competition. The mystery ingredients will be selected from locally grown or produced food products.
“We are eggs-cited to be a sponsor of The Road to the Royal’s Chef Competition,” said Scott Graham,
chair of Egg Farmers of Ontario. “High-quality Ontario eggs are an essential ingredient in great recipes for
every meal occasion so this competition is a perfect partnership between Egg Farmers of Ontario and The
Royal."
The Peterborough challenge is the first of six regional competitions that will be held around the province,
leading up to the final contest to be named Royal Chef Challenge Champion at The Royal Agricultural
Winter Fair in Toronto on Saturday, November 15.
The remaining stops on The Road to The Royal Chef Challenge include:
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Barrie Fair – Saturday, August 23
Paris Fair – Sunday, August 31
Great Northern Exhibition in Collingwood – Sunday, September 21
Markham Fair – Sunday, October 5
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Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show in Simcoe – Saturday, October 11
“There has been an important relationship for many decades between the local champions at regional
fairs and The Royal, which continues today through events such as The Road to The Royal Chef
Challenge,” said Sandra Banks, CEO of The Royal.
In addition to an expanded line-up of participating regional fairs, this year’s competition will be even
sweeter than ever before. The Royal Butter Tart Competition has also been added to celebrate a staple on
the Canadian dessert menu. Each of the fairs above will have a special Royal Butter Tart Class in their
homecraft section. The top 3 winners at each fair will be invited to compete at The Royal in November for
title of Grand Champion Butter Tart.
About The Royal:
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world’s largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian
show. This year, The 92nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 7-16, 2014 in the Direct Energy
Centre and Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results and to
purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.
The Royal Chef Challenge is supported by the Government of Ontario.
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For more information, please contact: