Auberge du Pommier’s Gold winning dish

Founded back in 2003, Gold Medal Plates was conceived as a project to raise substantial funds for Canadian athletes through the country-wide celebration of gastronomic excellence.

Earlier this week in Toronto judges James Chatto, Anita Stewart, Christine Cushing, Sasha Chapman and David Lawrason boarded a bizarre limo/bus/stripclub hybrid along with 24 VIP’s who had successfully bid at auction for privilege of being a “Toronto’s Best Chef Food Critic For a Day“.

These auction winners would spend the entire day (10am – 8pm) shadowing the judges as they travelled around the city tasting each Gold Medal Plates competitor’s dish and beverage pairing at their respective establishments, making for a most fun day on the road!

I had the distinct pleasure of accompanying the judges and their entourage of Toronto foodies as they evaluated each plate and pairing. Marks were carefully assigned and then tallied in order to declare the Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners of Gold Medal Plates Toronto, with the Gold winner travelling to Kelowna to represent Toronto in the National Final.

Despite the fact that my own scores would have no impact upon the official results, I was meticulous in my notetaking and assignation of marks. The following video is a record of the day’s proceedings as well as my personal take upon the competitors’ dishes.

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Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And he doesn’t know how he managed to last the day!