Gordon Bell team beats international competition after back-to-back Canadian titles
A team of four students from Gordon Bell High School in Winnipeg has won an international culinary competition in Paris, capping a remarkable run that included a second consecutive national title earlier this month.
Students Avery Van Solkema, Cailyn Olshevski, Yevhen Zinchenko and Matea Thiessen-Unger, 16, represented Canada on the world stage — and came home with top honours.
“It was kind of unreal,” said Thiessen-Unger.
From After-School Program to World Stage
The four students got their start through Kitchen Brigades, an after-school culinary education program run by La Tablée des Chefs for students aged 12 to 17.
The program consists of 25 cooking workshops designed to build practical skills and food literacy. “The goal is to teach kids how to cook responsibly,” said Van Solkema.
After completing the workshops, top students are assembled into a team and begin training together before entering the competition stream.
Back-to-Back National Titles
The Gordon Bell team secured their spot at the international competition earlier this month at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec culinary school in Montreal. They were the only Manitoba team in the finals, and took first place for the second year in a row against four other finalist teams.
Mystery Ingredients, Five Minutes to Plan
In Paris, the pressure was immediate. Competing teams were presented with a set of mystery ingredients and given just five minutes to plan before a one-hour cooking window began.
The rules required each team to incorporate one Canadian ingredient and one French ingredient. The Gordon Bell students prepared maple pan-seared vegetables and a pesto sauce made with olives and parmesan, with each team member taking responsibility for a specific part of the process.
“[The judging process] is intense. Really intense,” said Zinchenko.
Judges evaluated the dishes on taste and presentation, but also assessed teamwork, organization and cleanliness. After tasting the meals privately, they deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before announcing their decision.
What Comes Next
For some team members, the experience has opened doors to a potential culinary career. “Culinary is definitely an option for me,” said Van Solkema.
Thiessen-Unger said she does not plan to pursue cooking professionally, but values what the program gave her. “Kitchen Brigades has taught me things, like, the knowledge of what goes into a dish, and appreciating making food,” she said.
Zinchenko is already thinking about the program’s future. “Next year, we hope there are other kids who are as passionate about cooking as us, doing better than us,” he said.
