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| Chris Cosentino tests out AB faux fur feeb |
The
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a technical school, located in Edmonton, AB. They specialize in technical programs and hands on programs for post secondary students, allowing students to learn practical skills, with one of these programs being the
Culinary Arts program. Since 2009, they have invited a well-known chef to be the
Hokanson Chef in Residence, allowing young chefs the opportunity to learn from with one of the world’s best chefs, first hand. This also exposes the students to different cooking styles, trends and techniques. This year, the
Chef in Residence was
Chris Cosentino.
Chris Cosentino is recognizable by most as being on the
The Food Network, having guest starred and hosted several shows, as well as being one of the
Top Chef Masters winners.
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| Dungeness crab, fregola, chilies and fennel |
As part of the
Chef in Residence program, there is a public event in honor of the
Chef in Residence held at
Ernest’s.
Ernest’s is a fine dining restaurant created and run by
NAIT that allows
Culinary Arts and
Hospitality Management students the opportunity to practice and hone the skills they learned in the classroom in a real kitchen and restaurant, cooking for and serving paying diners. They are open for lunch, dinner and even offer a Chefs Table.
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| Acorn squash, stracciatella and sage |
NAIT hosted a luncheon this year in honor of
Chris Cosentino, where the
NAIT Culinary Arts students cooked a four-course menu from his new book,
Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal. We wound up being seated with a group of people in the food industry, including Kris Armitage, the manager of
Everything Cheese, Cyrilles Koppert, owner of two of Edmonton’s long standing
The Manor Casual Bistro and
Urban Diner, and
Alex Sneazwell, Executive Chef of
The Manor Casual Bistro. It made for three hours of interesting and entertaining conversation!
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| Lamb with anchovy butter and mint |
The first course up was
Dungeness crab,
fregola, chilies and fennel. The pieces of crab were large and plump. The entire dish was very delicately balanced, as I was able to taste crab broth, fennel and chilies all individually. I was surprised that the chilies were detectable without over powering the delicate crab. The
fregola in the crab broth was creamy and thick.
Chris Cosentino informed the diners later that it was thickened with blended crab guts, which can be used as a thickener once it begins to congeal. This allowed every part of the crab to be used instead of going to waste, a more sustainable way of cooking.
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| Bay leaf panna cotta with balsamic and black pepper |
Next we were presented with
acorn squash,
stracciatella and sage. The roasted squash was soft and sweet, the cheese was luxurious, while the brown butter caressed each bite. The entrée of lamb with
anchovy butter and mint was expertly cooked. The lamb was medium rare, very tender and flavorful, while the
anchovy butter surprisingly did not overwhelm the lamb, and didn’t have a strong salty taste as I was expecting.
To finish the meal, the students prepared a bay leaf
panna cotta with
balsamic and black pepper. I have to admit that I usually avoid choosing panna cotta for dessert, as I’m not a big fan of desserts that jiggle like
panna cotta and jello – yes, I realize that’s a bit weird. However, this
panna cotta was smooth, creamy, and rich, yet felt light. The dessert also had a savory element to it with the acidic
balsamic vinegar acting as a sauce and the mildly pepper taste inside it.
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| The girl human with Chris Cosentino |
The only hiccup of the luncheon was the service, as it was the first day the
NAIT Hospitality Management students was serving, so it took a while for each course to reach the diners. On average, it seemed to take half an hour between courses, making the entire luncheon about 3 hours long, with a lot of people at our table texting or calling work to let them know that they would be later than originally anticipated returning to work. Unfortunately, this meant that the humans were unable to linger afterwards to try to get me a photo with
Chris Cosentino. Particularly since many people there wanted to meet him, and according to NAIT staff that it might be a bit of wait as he was in the kitchen with the students.
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| Chef Matt Phillips with Chris Cosentino |
Luckily and amoozingly for Moo, after tweeting that I wanted a photo but was unable to obtain one at the lunch, he (
@offalchris) tweeted a reply and invited me down to
Ernest’s the next day to meet him and get a photo. It was also the day of the all day
snowstorm in Edmonton. Luckily Chef
Matt Phillips, a Chef at
Lux Steakhouse, my unofficial photographer for the day and one of my favorite chefs in Edmonton, and mooself managed to get there in one piece via public transit, determined to to meet
Chris Cosentino! Even luckier was that the bus we took got stuck in snow just after we got off at
NAIT.
Thank you to
Chris Cosentino for taking the time to meet Moo so I could get a photo! As well as taking the time to chat with Moo and Matt! He was a very approachable, down to earth and friendly guy! I hope that some day I get the chance to dine at his restaurant,
Incanto, in San Francisco, as well as visit
Boccalone, his artisan salumi store. Also congrats to the
NAIT Culinary Arts students, as you made a wonderful meal!
Overall I was very impressed with the students’ abilities and think that the future of Edmonton’s culinary scene will be in good hands if the
NAIT Culinary Arts students are this capable already. I look forward to visiting
Ernest’s on another night to see what other delicious things the student’s can create.
More photos at
PhotoBucket!
Ernest’s Dining Room
11762 106 St
Edmonton, AB T5G 2R1
780-471-8676
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Oh man, wish I could have been there! Quite the adventure, weather and all...
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