Shaken And Stirred

The illustrious Fairmont Empress Hotel is bringing sexy to Victoria with a culinary competition with Canada going head-to-head against our neighbour to the south. Shaken and Stirred brings together The Fairmont Empress’ Executive Sous Chef, Ken Nakano, and Chad Blunston of The Fairmont Newport Beach in an evening of delectable dishes under the twinkling lights of the Crystal Ballroom.

Challenged to create five mouthwatering courses, each paired with an expertly shaken cocktail, the featured chefs will battle it out for ultimate bragging rights. While there’s no doubt that incredible talent in the kitchen will be burning up the spotlight at Shaken and Stirred, The Fairmont Empress’ general manager, Martin Leclerc, isn’t sweating the competition: “To have the opportunity to pair the meal with cocktails and challenge a peer adds to the mystique of the event” and adds that Executive Sous Chef Nakano definitely “has a competitive advantage on home turf.”

The tempting tastes of the evening, with a twist of 007-esque glamour, promises to be nothing short of exciting.

I have been invited by The Fairmont Empress Hotel to judge each of the five courses presented by Chef Nakano and Chef Blunston, along with Kathy Kay of the Victoria Film Festival, Shelora Sheldan of Cooking With A Broad and foodie blogger Treve Ring. I think I can speak on behalf of the other judges that we are all extremely intrigued to discover what the evening will present to our palates.

If you’d like to join in this sophisticated evening of wine and cocktails, tickets can be purchased for $160 each (+ taxes and gratuities) or $128 for Friends of the Empress. The winning chef will be toasted and celebrated in an after party at The Bengal Lounge. Call The Fairmont Empress at (250) 389-2727 to reserve your spot and purchase tickets or visit the hotel online.

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