White Point chef Saltscapes winner

HALIFAX-Alan Crosby, chef at White Point Beach Resort in Nova Scotia, is the winner of the culinary competition held as part of the Saltscapes Exposition in early May.

Ten chefs, all members of Taste of Nova Scotia, battled it out in the Cutting Edge challenge.

"We are proud to be a Taste of Nova Scotia member and I personally enjoy showcasing the amazing variety and quality of the products available to us in Nova Scotia through our menu and special events," said Crosby.

"This competition gives me another chance to promote our local products and answer interesting culinary questions from the audience at the same time."

Each chef had 45 minutes to create their dishes for three judges using a black box full of ingredients grown or produced in Nova Scotia.

Crosby's mystery items included Clearwater scallops, Smeltzer's honey, Tideview apple cider, Nova-Agri cabbage and Farmer John's summer savory.

His 90.1 points topped Les Stevens from Crown Bistro in the Delta Hotel Halifax and Terry Vassallo from Trattoria della Nonna, Both tied for second with 87.7 points.

"The Cutting Edge is a fun and educational culinary competition," Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia, told the media.

"It is audience-driven...members of the audience participate as sous chefs on stage, everyone is invited to vote for their favorite chef and competing chefs respond to audience questions ranging from their biggest cooking disaster to the kitchen utensil they can't live without."

Participating chefs also included Renée Lavallée from Five Fishermen, Graeme Ruppel from Brooklyn Warehouse, Earlene Busch from Chanterelle Country Inn & Cottages, Luis Clavel of Café 101, Peter Welton from Port Pub and Bistro, Jacqui Grobler from Keltic Lodge and Mark Gabrieau from Gabrieau's Bistro.