BONAVISTA, NL – Katie Hayes and her seven-member team are about to go head-to-head with top chefs from across the country this weekend in Kelowna, B.C.
Hayes, a former College of the North Atlantic (CNA) instructor and owner of the Bonavista Social Club, recently held a fundraiser in St. John’s, in partnership with Mallard Cottage and Restaurant Association Newfoundland and Labrador (RANL), to help finance the trip.
Mallard Cottage was teeming with foodies who came to sample scrumptious meals, and featured prominent chefs: Roger Dewling (former CNA Instructor of the Culinary Arts program), Carolyn Power, Jeremy Charles, Duane Chatman (a CNA Culinary Arts program alum), Shaun Hussey, and Michelle Leblanc.
”It was a great evening! Amazing food, entertainment and support from so many in the industry and the province. A huge thanks to everyone involved,” said Hayes.
All donations raised by the event will help support Hayes and her team of seven chefs (Shane Hayes, Duane Chatman, Kaitlyn Oldford, Roger Dewling, Carolyn Power and Stephen Lee) when they represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships Feb. 1-3.
To qualify for the 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships, Hayes and her team won the regional competition – Canada’s Great Kitchen Party – held in St. John’s last year. The national event will include several challenges, including a Mystery Wine Pairing, the Black Box competition, and the Grand Finale (chefs’ best dishes).
“We are thrilled to be a part of the talented line-up of chefs who will be making their way to Kelowna,” said Hayes.
The 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships raises money for Canadian Olympic athletes, and will feature elite athletes from amateur, para and pro-sport telling their stories, as well as an auction.
“Nowhere else in the country will this kind of talent be brought together and it’s all done to support a great cause. Come and enjoy the best food in Canada, while tasting delicious local cuisine these talented chefs bring from every part of the country while competing against their peers,” said Hayes.
The 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships competitors include:
- British Columbia (Victoria): Takashi Ito – AURA
- Alberta (Edmonton): Davina Moraiko – RGE RD
- Alberta (Calgary): Dave Bohati – Murrieta’s
- Saskatchewan: Christopher Hill – Taste Restaurant Group
- Manitoba (Winnipeg): Jesse S. Friesen – The Merchant Kitchen
- Ontario (Toronto): Elia Herrera – Los Colibris
- Ontario (Ottawa/Gatineau): Yannick LaSalle – Restaurant Les Fougères, Chelsea, QC
- Quebec: Jason Morris – Pastel
- New Brunswick / P.E.I. (Charlottetown): Irwin MacKinnon – Papa Joe’s
- Nova Scotia (Dartmouth): Thomas Carey – Fresh Twenty One
- Newfoundland (Bonavista): Katie Hayes – Bonavista Social Club
Bonavista Social Club, which opened its doors eight years ago, quickly became a must-experience culinary destination in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Located in Upper Amherst Cove on the Bonavista Peninsula, and home to the only commercial wood-fired bread oven in the province, Hayes and her husband, Shane, have their own gardens and animals which they use in the creation of their delectable dishes.
“The Bonavista Social Club has employed over 10 people, who are graduates of the CNA campus, and they are a part of our extended family,” said Hayes. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without our staff. It’s a pretty close-knit group.”
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Media Contact:
Minal Abhange
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.7870
minal.abhange@cna.nl.ca