Third Time's a Charm for Tomiko Mayede - Winner of 22nd Annual Quady Dessert Competition

Three years ago, when Tomiko Mayede entered the Quady Dessert Competition, she won. Third place. An accomplishment, to be sure. 

Two years ago, when Mayede entered again. She won again. This time, taking Second place. Certainly something to be proud of.

This year, Mayede competed for the third year in a row and bested her performance claiming First Place with her dessert called "Embrace." 

1st Place Winner - Tomiko Mayede - Photo Credit Photo credit: Daniela Ciuffa.

QUADY DESSERT COMPETITION

Mayede works at the historic Terminal City Club in Vancouver. This competition has some history, too. It's one of the highlights of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. The Festival itself is Canada’s premier wine show and one of the biggest and oldest wine festival events in the world.

Consisting of a cassis chocolate bar, chocolate soufflé, cassis sorbet, Mayede's "Embrace" was judged the perfect pairing with Quady Elysium.

Embrace - Photo credit: Daniela Ciuffa.

In its 22nd year, the Quady Dessert Competition challenges chefs and students to create a dessert that pairs perfectly with a Quady wine. This year Elysium was chosen. Made from Black Muscat, an under-appreciated muscat variety, this is a distinctive wine that pairs exceedingly well with dark chocolate. Known in Europe as a table grape variety, Muscat Hamburg, the grape is one of the very few black-skinned muscats. If ripened to about 25 brix, it attains a rose-like aroma and litchi-like flavor. This rose-like aroma led the Quadys to name the wine Elysium, Greek for heaven.

This year's judges included:

• Andrew Morrison – Food Columnist, Westender
• Ned Bell – Executive Chef/Owner, Cabana
• Alana Peckham – Executive Chef, CRU Restaurant
• Bruno Feldeisen – Pastry Chef Instructor, PICA
• Steve Hodge – Pastry Chef and 2008 winner, Beach House
• Sylvain Cuerrier – Executive Chef, River Rock Casino
• Nadin Buehrer – 2009 winner, Thomas Haas
• Tish Thibault - Sommelier

The panel awarded Second place to Lisa Ip of VII Lounge for her dessert, "Amour de Cassis": Cassis meringue mousse with light vanilla bavarian, wine pearls, soft dark chocolate crème leger with a hint of cardamom, pomegranate gel, nut crunch and red fruit sorbet.

Whitney Reimer of Lumière won 3rd Place with her dessert, "True Romance": Goat cheese mousse, wine gelée, vanilla rooibos pound cake and raspberry compote. Alice Wu – Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts – took Top Student honors with her dessert, "In the Mood for Love": Morello cherry sorbet, jaconde / blackberry & cherry mousse / morello cherry jelly
coco nib speculaas, dark chocolate coating / crème anglaise, candied hazelnuts.

Back row, left to right: Andrew Quady, Whitney Reimer, Laurel Quady. Front row, left to right: Alice Wu, Tomiko Mayede, Lisa Ip. Photo credit: Daniela Ciuffa.

Congratulations to all - here's to rose-scented, heavenly dreams.

Comments

[גני אירועים]

It's Known in Europe as a table grape variety, Muscat Hamburg, the grape is one of the few black-skinned Muscat. If ripened to about 25 brix, it carries an aroma of rose and lychee.