- Yannick La Salle, executive chef at the Supreme Court of Canada, won the Kitchen Party Ottawa all-star invitational on September 21.
- Ian Carswell of Black Tartan Kitchen took silver, and Jason Sawision of Stofa took bronze.
- La Salle now heads to the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa, January 29–30, 2027.
Kitchen Party Ottawa turned 20 this year, and to mark it, organizers turned the September 21 event at Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine on Elgin Street into an all-star invitational, bringing together some of the region's most decorated cooks.
When the blind-judged scores were tallied, the gold went to Yannick La Salle.
The winning plate
La Salle cooked veal sweetbreads with celeriac, apples and horseradish, finished with a maple leaf tuile. He paired it with a 2024 Chardonnay from Domaine l'Espiègle, in Dunham, Quebec. It's a very Ottawa-Gatineau plate: classic technique, autumn produce and a wine from just across the river.
The field
The competition was stacked. Ian Carswell of Black Tartan Kitchen in Carleton Place took silver with a dish built around beets, haskap berries and venison. Jason Sawision of Stofa took bronze with a kataifi-wrapped lobster and langoustine torchon. Lizardo Becerra, who runs the host kitchen at Raphaël, and Joe Thottungal of Coconut Lagoon and Thali rounded out the five.
A familiar name
La Salle isn't new to winning. He took gold at the Ottawa competition in 2018, then won the Canadian Culinary Championship in 2019. He made his name at Les Fougères in Chelsea before leaving in 2022 for one of the more unusual jobs in the city: executive chef at the Supreme Court of Canada.
A new kind of nationals
The Canadian Culinary Championship also turns 20 this season, and it's coming to Ottawa on January 29 and 30, 2027, with a new format: two-chef teams instead of solo competitors. La Salle will compete for Ottawa-Gatineau alongside Marc Lépine of Atelier, a two-time national champion named the region's Chef of Distinction.
Beyond the medals, the event raises money for local causes. This year's beneficiaries include R.I.S.E. Academy, the Ottawa Network for Education and Nutrition Blocs. Canada's Great Kitchen Party events have raised $19.9 million for charity over the years.
A home crowd, a new format and two former champions on one team: January should be fun.