VANCOUVER — A Calgary chef has taken top prize in a national competition designed to help jump-start the careers of young chefs.
Ian MacDougall, 23, of Model Milk won the Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship Foundation award of $10,000 and a chance to cook in an international restaurant.
MacDougall beat the seven other finalists Saturday with his dish of roasted squab with lobster agnolotti, nasturtium braised endive and squab jus.
Cynthia Iaboni, 26, of Le Serpent restaurant in Montreal was named Le Creuset's Rising Star and took home $5,000.
Leading up to Saturday's final, scholarship founder and chef David Hawksworth and his chef de cuisine Kristian Eligh, both from Vancouver's Hawksworth Restaurant and Bel Cafe, held heats in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal.
The eight finalists were chosen from among 37 competitors.
The scholarship is intended to encourage Canadian chefs age 28 and under by giving them the opportunity to cook for acclaimed chefs and food critics.
Judging the finals were chefs Mark McEwan of the Toronto-based McEwan Group, Normand Laprise of Toque! and Brasserie T in Montreal, Scott Jaegar of the Pear Tree in Burnaby, B.C., and Anthony Walsh, executive chef of Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants in Toronto.
They were joined by food critics Jacob Richler of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, Sarah Musgrave of Air Canada's enRoute magazine and Alexandra Gill of the Globe and Mail.
Applications are open for the 2016 competition.
