Photo: Contributed

The competing chefs have been decided for the 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna.

The event returns again to the Okanagan Feb. 1-2.

Regional competitions in 11 cities, dubbed Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, determined the qualifiers. 

“We are thrilled to announce this talented lineup of chefs who will be making their way to Kelowna in February,” says event co-founder Lisa Pasin. “Nowhere else in the country will this kind of talent be brought together.”

“The championships are not for the faint of heart," says head judge James Chatto.

"The challenges are intense and gruelling, with three competitions taking place in two days. The chefs are excited and passionate to compete against their peers – and rest assured they all come to win."

The 2019 competitors include:

• British Columbia – Takashi Ito, AURA waterfront restaurant + patio, Victoria
• Edmonton – Davina Moraiko, RGE RD
• Calgary – Dave Bohati, Murrieta’s
• Saskatchewan – Christopher Hill, Taste Restaurant Group
• Winnipeg – Jesse S. Friesen, The Merchant Kitchen
• Toronto – Elia Herrera, Los Colibris
• Ottawa/Gatineau – Yannick LaSalle, Restaurant Les Fougères
• Montreal – Jason Morris, Pastel
• New Brunswick and PEI – Irwin MacKinnon, Papa Joe’s, Charlottetown
• Nova Scotia – Thomas Carey, Fresh Twenty One, Dartmouth
• Newfoundland – Katie Hayes, Bonavista Social Club 

Three of the chefs are returning this year – Bohati, Hill, and Friesen. 

The competition includes the Friday Mystery Wine Pairing Competition, Black Box Competition, and Grand Finale, featuring music by iconic Canadian rock band Chilliwack.

Tickets are on sale now at http://www.greatkitchenparty.com/