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Victoria Rinsma wins the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Award

After a day of intense and emotional competition, the Canadian finalist of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Award 2024-25 was announced last night.

Victoria Rinsma, 27, of Hexagon Restaurant in Oakville won a close race against nine competitors with a dish she calls “Across the Sea and Home Again,” combining culinary influences that include connections to Newfoundland, Mexico and Ireland and her experiences cooking in her home province of Ontario.

The composed dish centred on a filet of dry-aged striped sea bass from the Baja Peninsula, finished over coal and served with charred chili pil pil sauce. This was accompanied by nixtamalized honey nut squash and a condiment of the same squash, pickled ginger and preserved late-season tomatoes. On the side, Rinsma placed a bowl of chawanmushi custard made with smoked ham hock and charred English peas glazed in tomato consommé. This was her ode to her Newfoundland-born grandmother’s pea soup, which was served in a rock bowl with a hand-made wooden spoon made by her friend. The dish, she said later, is about her journey and the families that have entered her life along the way.

The judges were moved. Through tears, Nuit Regular (Pai, Kiin; Toronto) said: “You show a lot of passion, attention, creativity…the flavours and textures are very elegant. I’m very proud to be here and taste your food.” Normand Laprise (Toqué!, Montreal) called out the fish’s smoky, crispy skin: “You talked about the simplicity of your grandmother’s cooking. But this dish shows a lot of technique.” Rinsma presented each judge with an illustrated note describing her dish. Jason Bangerter (Langdon Hall, Cambridge) said: “I’ve judged many competitions, but this is the first time I’ve received a personal letter. It’s very impressive.”

Over the next year, Rinsma will hone the dish in consultation with her mentor, Hexagon chef Rafael Covarrubias, who won the Canadian S. Pellegrino competition and competed in Milan in 2021. She may also choose to work with one of the judges, all of whom offered her their support.

Three additional awards were handed out: Sébastien Rémillard (Bocuse d’Or, Toronto) won the S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award. Mary Yap (Islington Golf Club, Etobicoke) won the Fine Dining Lovers Food for Thought Award. Clement Cavoret (Tanière3, Quebec City) won the Acqua Panna Connection in Gastronomy Award.