Governor General’s Award in Celebration of the Nation’s Table

Their Excellencies presented for the first time the Governor General’s Award in Celebration of the Nation’s Table during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. "This award is one of our legacies. "A legacy in keeping with historical tradition, as the institution of Governor General has always been open to all forms of Canadian cultural expression."

Students from Stratford landed a hand to Executive Chef Louis Charest and his team.

The 2010 recipients of the Governor General's Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table.

Janet Dorozynski, chair of the award's Advisory Committee, surprised Mr. Lafond when she made him honorary recipient of the Award in Celebration of the Nation's Table.

Ricky Sze Ho Lam, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is one of the new generation of outstanding food researchers in Canada. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Guelph, he received an Undergraduate Student Research Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Dairy Farmers of Ontario Scholarship to start his research interests in the physical properties of edible oils and fats. In his master’s studies at the University of Saskatchewan, he continues to focus on the food applications of edible oils and fats using the Canadian Light Source (CLS).

David Cohlmeyer, Thirnton, Ontario, came to Canada from the United States in 1972 and quickly became a gentle but powerful alternative voice, as chef and restaurateur at Beggar’s Banquet, as food and agriculture columnist of The Globe and Mail, and as the founder of the Toronto Culinary Guild. But he is best known as a farmer.

Founded in 1980 by the Nunavik Inuit Elders’ Conference, the Avataq Cultural Institute, Nunavik, Quebec, is dedicated to protecting and promoting the rich language and culture of Inuit in Canada and throughout the world, by supporting a wide variety of projects. One of them, the creation of five Northern Delights herbal teas, helps not only to fund numerous activities for this northern community, but also to preserve ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants of the tundra and how they were used by previous generations. The award was accepted by Charles Arngak, President of the Avataq Cultural Institute.

Over the last 30 years, Sinclair and Frédérique Philip, Soke, Bristich Columbia, have painstakingly created and maintained an incubator for regional and sustainable food philosophies. With the inexhaustible food knowledge of Sinclair and the artistic eye of Frédérique, Sooke Harbour House has mentored and produced some of this country’s most respected chefs.

As the co-owner of the Le Saint-Amour restaurant in Old Québec City for over 30 years, Jean-Luc Boulay, Québec, Quebec, has drawn on his training and experience in France to create a distinctively Canadian and Quebec gastronomy. He was one of the first chefs to promote local food, both in Canada and in other countries, using local ingredients to showcase regional producers and to help them improve their products and grow their businesses. On the leading edge of the latest technologies in his field, Mr. Boulay has always placed great importance on his role as a chef mentor, taking fledgling cooks under his wing. His exceptional career has made him one of the Canadians to be awarded France’s National Order of Agricultural Merit.

Toronto-born Jamie Kennedy traveled to Europe for a classical chef’s education, where he apprenticed with German-born Michael Stadtländer, Singhampton, Ontario. They became friends and colleagues, moving to Toronto and forming the opening team at Scaramouche—unimaginably young, but leaders from the start. The sheer number of young apprentices that have emerged from their kitchens and gone on to fulfilling and important careers in growing, preparing, preserving and serving food is extraordinary.

James and Linda Gourlay, Bedford, Nova Scotia, are innovators, catalysts and creative doers who have inspired Canadians and raised awareness of the intricate connection of farm to table. With the creation of their monthly magazine, Saltscapes, they showed Canadians the role the table plays as a cultural forum for exchanging and sharing culinary and other ideas. They put the spotlight on creative, “outside-the-box” food and wine initiatives in Atlantic Canada and promoted them at the national level.

With good humour, Robert McLaughlin, Guelph, Ontario, has dedicated his life to actively promoting the growth and study of our distinctly Canadian food culture. In his tenure as dean of the Ontario Agricultural College, he managed three colleges and a number of research stations. As inaugural chair of the Guelph Food Council, Dr. McLaughlin pioneered the linking of agricultural production to ingredients. He is a born educator.

John Bishop, Vancouver, British Columbia) opened Bishop’s Restaurant in 1985 with a commitment to organic, local produce. He was a pioneer on 4th Avenue in Vancouver long before it became the West Side’s hippest food corridor. This award-winning author, chef, veteran maître d’ and restaurateur is a model for hospitality, and a pioneer of local ingredient sourcing and menu development doctrine—a doctrine that has become conventional wisdom in Canada.

Alfred Slinkard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is synonymous with the development of the Canadian pulse industry. Since 1972, Dr. Slinkard has worked tirelessly with researchers and industry leaders to promote the production and consumption of pulses. His work has helped lead the way for Canada to become a major exporter of peas and lentils, with Canadian farmers producing over 7.5-million acres of pulses in 2009. As professor emeritus, Dr. Slinkard continues his food research developing spice crops.

When Christian Barthomeuf, Frelighsburg, Quebec, first got the idea in 1989 to use ice winemaking techniques to create the first ice cider in Quebec, his neighbours said he was an eccentric. Today, Mr. Barthomeuf is one of the pillars of this flourishing young industry. In helping apple growers to produce high-quality ice cider, Mr. Barthomeuf has also helped to raise the profile of their challenging vocation, while yielding significant added value for their orchards.

Guests were able to taste various culinary creations concocted by Rideau Hall and the invited students following the award ceremony.