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Vegetable bean soup earns Chef Schiller a win
Day two of Kootenay Granite Stone Soup Challenge features two hearty soups and a packed house of happy guests
It was a perfect match up: two chefs with philanthropic hearts from restaurants that specialize in home-cooked classic comfort foods. They run the kind of place where the customers are friends, and the regulars are family.
Chef Shelby Schiller of BJ’s Diner and Creekside Pub in Kimberley and Chef Barb Smythe of The Roadhouse Grill in Cranbrook put on an impressive show at today’s Kootenay Granite Stone Soup Challenge.
But only one chef could emerge a winner.
Chef Schiller claimed today’s victory with a vegetable bean soup featuring sausage. The other soup, a butternut squash and carrot soup, also earned rave reviews from Salvation Army guests.
“They were both really good; I couldn’t decide and ended up casting one vote for each. I don’t think I was the only one who did that either,” said A.W., a guest of the Salvation Army who asked to be identified by her initials.
“It was awesome,” said Chef Schiller of her experience. “Not too different than what you might expect in any restaurant – you show up, open the fridge, take a look at what’s there and turn it into the best soup possible. My strategy was to wing it. My goal was to create something hearty that was filling and flavourful.”
“I came into the competition with an open mind,” said Chef Smythe. “But once I saw the butternut squash I pretty much had my plan. It’s one of my favourite flavours; unique but versatile.”
On Friday, Chef Marc Rathpoller of Tuscany’s will go against Sous Chef Doug Wagner of St. Eugene Mission Resort in what will be the last Round One competition before the semi-final events, sponsored by College of the Rockies Professional Cook Training, begin next week.
The Kootenay Granite Stone Soup Challenge will conclude with the two final chefs competing at an exciting luncheon fundraiser on March 4, noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort.
Tickets to the public event are available in two prices: $25 for lunch; or, $45 for lunch and a $20 charitable receipt. Proceeds are in support of the Salvation Army in their efforts to build a 24/7 shelter in Cranbrook for homeless men, women, and families throughout the East Kootenay, as well as the Cranbrook and District Community Foundation (CDCF) general endowment fund, which provides annual grants to non-profit organizations in the community.
Tickets to the final event can be purchased with cash at Max’s Place or by calling 250-426-1119.
Above photo: Chef Barb Smythe playfully swings a celery stick at her challenger Shelby Schiller.
Cranbrook and District Community Foundation
