JAN 20 12 – 12:01 AM — At last count 23 among Ottawa’s top chefs have signed on for Takeover Weekend at Atelier restaurant over three nights in February – volunteering their time and talent to maintain full dinner service while chef/owner Marc Lepine and his sous chef, Jason Sawision, are off to Kelowna, competing for the title as Canada’s top chef.
The unique idea (undoubtedly the coolest, and most supportive to visit Ottawa’s cheffing community) is to keep the doors open at the small, 22-seat restaurant that might otherwise suffer financially while its two lead chefs compete against Canada’s best in British Columbia. It being such a small place, Atelier would have had to close for three of its busiest nights Feb. 9 to 11.
One chef I spoke with estimated the cost for a small restaurant to compete at a championship national event could be in the order of $10,000.
Above, Marc Lepine at Gold Medal Plates in Ottawa last November.
Takeover Weekend at Atelier was reported here on Dec. 6, the brainchild of executive chef Matt Carmichael of Social, Restaurant E18hteen and Sidedoor restaurants, hatched in November over drinks at Wellington Gastropub during a birthday celebration for chef Rene Rodriguez of Navarra Restaurant. Others included chefs Marc Lepine, Cesare Santaguida of Vittoria Trattoria, Clifford Lyness at Brookstreet Hotel, and Kettleman’s Bagel shop owner Craig Buckley.
“This has turned into something bigger than I ever thought,” Marc says.
“Matt asked me if I had to close while in Kelowna, and I said of course. He said that really sucks, that we should do a special dinner. He asked if I’d let them in my kitchen, and I said of course!”
Right, executive chef Matt Carmichael, as he placed first at Gold Medal Plates in Ottawa in 2009.
Recall that Marc won the most recent Gold Medal Plates competition in Ottawa on Nov. 14, which qualified him to move on to the grand championship contest next month. But while Gold Medal Plates covers some costs associated with the competition, it doesn’t cover everything.
“The idea is we’d cover the three nights: Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Matt says.
“If we we took just six chefs, not everyone could cover all three nights. So I compiled a list of chefs in my culinary world and started calling them, emailing and texting, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“I really think their response has a lot to do with Marc and what he’s done to contribute to the culinary scene in Ottawa,” Matt adds.
“For four years that he’s been open, for the most part he sells out every night. And over time I think his cuisine has matured, he’s gained national attention, and if Marc represents Ottawa nationally then it shows the world there is really cool stuff going on here — not just with what chefs like Marc are doing, but the fact the dining public here will support it,” Matt says.
“There’s a sense of community and comaraderie among chefs in Ottawa but we don’t often get the opportunity to work together. In this case, I don’t think there has ever been an event in Ottawa to have so many top chefs come together for a common cause. And to earmark $50 from each plate on those evenings to go to the Ottawa Food Bank underscores not only Marc’s commitment to the community, but our commitment as chefs to help each other.”
For his part, Marc says he’s grateful and has volunteered to organize a similar cheffing-relief effort in 2013 to assist the next winner of Gold Medal Plates in Ottawa. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in food since coming to Ottawa in 2001,” he says.
“I’m just sorry I’ll be away and miss it all.”
Each night, eight chefs will take responsibility for a different course, from soup to mains to dessert. “Our challenge is that we have to be conscious of portion size,” Matt says. “They can’t be too big or too small; the last thing you want is for people to feel uncomfortably full and leave things on the plate.
“So each chef will do something that inspires them, that reflects their own style, so it will not be the Atelier 12-course tasting menu of deconstructed dishes that Marc is known for. On the other hand, I think a lot of chefs are excited to work in that concept of restaurant with equipment like the anti-griddle, induction burners and immersion circulators,” Matt says.
As I mentioned, the place is small so reserve early. Start time is 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 9, 10 and 11.
Price is $150, which includes the $50 donation to Ottawa Food Bank. Reservations by phone at 613-321-3537.
Here’s the chefs’ lineup to date (may change, you never know …)
Thursday Feb. 9
Cesare Santaguida, Vittoria Trattoria; Michael Hay, The Courtyard Restaurant; Matthew Brearley, Castlegarth; Norm Aitken, Juniper Kitchen and Wine Bar; Michael Blackie, National Arts Centre; Jamie Stunt, Oz Cafe; Pat Garland, Absinthe; Arup Jana, Allium.
Friday Feb. 10
Jason Duffy, ARC Hotel; John Taylor, Domus Cafe; Yannick Anton, Cordon Bleu Bistro; Steve Mitton, Murray Street; Caroline Ishii, Zen Kitchen; Charles Part, Les Fougeres; Michael Moffatt, Beckta Dining & Wine, Play; Matt Carmichael, Restaurant E18hteen.
Saturday Feb. 11
Clifford Lyness, Brookstreet Hotel; Chris Deraiche, Wellington Gastropub; Patricia Larkin, Black Cat Bistro; Mike Radford, Savana Cafe (now closed); Matt Somers, It’s a Matter of Cake; Michael Farber, Farbs Kitchen and Wine Bar; Matt Carmichael.
