Teri’s Excellent Adventure

December 5, 2024

By Teri Wentworth, Food Services Supervisor

“On Tuesday November 26, 2024, I was invited to participate in a Black Box Challenge Cooking Competition at Sysco Food’s Peterborough Offices.

I have worked for Community Care for the past 17 years and have not worked in a restaurant environment for the same number of years. I was the only chef competing in the competition in that position so therefore was quite nervous and a little apprehensive about this endeavour. We all have our “comfort zones” and this was definitely out of mine, but nevertheless I felt that I needed a challenge and you never know until you try. I have three young grandchildren and this was an opportunity to “practice what you preach”.

Upon arrival at Sysco Foods, the 16 competing Chefs were taken to a boardroom where we were divided into teams of two, which was predetermined by a random draw. I was partnered with a young Chef named Taylor from Valentia in the City of Kawartha Lakes.  We were advised of the rules of the competition allowed to walk through the kitchen and pantry/fridge areas. We were advised of the products that we had access to aside from what was in our boxes.  This competition was sponsored by Barry-Callebaut, one of the top chocolate providers in the world.  We were given a 15 minute tutorial on the different chocolate products that were available and some history of the company and its sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

After the demonstration, we were shown the items that were in our black boxes and advised that we had to create an appetizer and a main course using all the items, with the exception of the proteins, which could be used separately in different courses.  We had 10 minutes to confer as a team to come up with a plan and were then “let loose” in the kitchen where we had 35 minutes and about 6 inches of work space per person to create these two courses.

The items in the box were:

• Fresh Tomatoes
• Habanero Peppers
• Lollipops
• White Chocolate
• Dark Chocolate
• Tortilla Chips
• Whole Lobster (pre-cooked)
• Duck Breast halves (raw)

We then had to start running, with 16 Chefs in a kitchen that would possibly accommodate four at best. It was like nothing I had ever done before and we were all vying for stovetop space, ingredients and some elbow room.

Taylor and I came up with a plan to use the duck in a salad as an appetizer course. Duck breast on its own should not be cooked past medium and rare ours was cooked perfectly. I created a dark chocolate vinaigrette to dress the duck and the salad greens, incorporating the same spice mix I used on the duck. Taylor created a fresh salsa using the other ingredients, including the lollipops and white chocolate.  The picture speaks for itself the outcome was quite nice.

For our main course, we created a Lobster Risotto, this time using all the ingredients, this was tricky but fun and we managed to get all ingredients in except for the dark chocolate (oops).

The 35 minutes seemed like 15 and plating came down to the last 30 seconds just like you see on TV.  We were then instructed to present our dishes to the judges and explain how we used all the ingredients. We were then sent to a different boardroom to await judging.

While there we were surprised with a “Final Element” and they requested we come back after the half hour break and create a dessert. The only criteria was to use the chocolate that was provided. Taylor who is a genius with chocolate decoration created Ruby Chocolate butterfly wings to decorate the dessert that I created, which was a deconstructed Ruby Chocolate and Lime Cheesecake with a Gin and Raspberry compote, Dark Chocolate Ganache and a brown butter and lime toasted granola.

We presented our dishes to the judges and returned back to the boardroom to await the results. Upon return we were advised that only the top three teams would be announced and we were thanked for participating in such an exciting event.

Taylor and I ended up taking third place. I was very excited and pleased with this outcome and was proud that I worked through my fears. I would definitely do this competition again.  I am pleased to share this experience as I feel that not only did I gain from this but feel as the only non-restaurant Chef and as a representative of Community Care, that this gives us some “bragging rights” about what we can and have accomplished with our Meals on Wheels and Diners Club programs.”