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Cocktails and cuisine came together for one glittering evening last week at The Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria for the hotel’s Shaken and Stirred culinary competition.

The Fairmont Empress’ Theresa Dickinson and The Fairmont Newport Beach’s Rob Anderson held down hosting duties with humour, panache and a lot of sex appeal in this 007-inspired event.

Executive Sous Chef Ken Nakano of The Fairmont Empress Hotel challenged Executive Chef Chad Blunston in a series of five courses. Each chef was to prepare a dish that paired perfectly with a pre-selected cocktail. Myself and three other judges were given the task of rating each course out of 15 based on particular criteria.

The evening’s edible delights kicked off with a fanny bay oyster with yuzu lemonade and a sour cherry pearl from Chef Blunston battling against Chef Nakano’s Qualicum Beach scallop in a side striped shrimp terrine with coriander and avocado remoulade. The first course was paired with the Dawa cocktail, Dawa meaning “healing” in Swahili.

Other featured cocktails included The Empress 1908, featuring vodka infused with Empress Hotel tea, as well as OC Nights, Bronze Seduction and my personal favourite, the Mango Tango. What looked sweet and fruity actually packed a lot of kick with mango purée shaken with jalapeño.

Before the final and sweetest course, Chefs Blunston and Nakano served up everything from organic chicken breast from Goldstream and duck confit to king prawn with pineapple curry sauce and porcini braised chuck flat. Choosing the best dessert proved most difficult. Chef Blunston offered up banana cream beignets with an incredible trough of chocolate while Chef Nakano whipped up hazelnut florentine cradling espresso gelato.

When the last sip was savoured and the final crumbs all but licked off our plates, the numbers were tallied and a winner was declared. Chef Ken Nakano was the judges’ favourite, earning the most points for his simple yet creatively flavourful dishes. Chef Blunston, however, could hardly be known as second best: each course he prepared was a true work of art.

Rumour has it that The Fairmont Newport Beach is hoping for a re-match this fall in Orange County! Stay tuned for more on round two, but in the meantime, stop in at The Fairmont Empress Hotel next time you’re in Victoria and devour some of Chef Nakano’s food for yourself.

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.