Timing is key for Victoria Chef Stefan Armand as he fine-tunes his dish to tackle national competition later this month in Toronto, Ont.
Armand is a regional competitor for Canada in the 2024-2025 San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition – a global contest to identify the world's best young chefs, regardless of background, gender and ethnicity.
The only competitor from Western Canada, he aims to highlight Island farmers and fishers during the regional competition Oct. 23 and 24 in Toronto. Winners there go on to compete in Milan, Italy, in November 2025.
The global competition is the latest level of a dream carefully seasoned through kitchens in Victoria, B.C., and Sydney, Australia.
After secondary school, Armand found himself on construction sites working his way through university business courses.
“I didn’t really know why I was going to business. I felt a bit lost,” Armand said.
He dropped both the construction jobs and the classes and started working at a burger restaurant with friends. Having found his calling, Armand climbed back into construction to pay for cooking school.
“I got to shift in my second year, working in some different restaurants,” he said.
Recently returned from Down Under, Armand now works in the kitchens of the Fairmont Empress Hotel and his resume features impressive local eateries including Saveur as well as Fox and Monacle. His competition mentors are the Empress Chef de Cuisine Tyler Paquette and his partner Sakura Button – also a talented chef.
Armand had a goal when he headed to Australia to work for Chef Peter Gilmore at Three Hat (a top Australian culinary designation) restaurant QUAY. The gamble worked and he found his way to work under recently-crowned Three Hat chef Josh Niland at Fish Butchery – which had a significant impact on his philosophy.
Now he draws on knowledge absorbed from previous chefs, mentors and his own personal passions and experiences.
Mise en place is critical for any cook, but Armand needs to worry about getting his gear and ingredients clear across the country in a timely and safe way. For example, ingredients such as locally-sourced dry-aged fish – requiring precarious timing to be perfect.
Harbouring a passion for zero-waste cuisine, his contending dish features a roster of Island flavours: Satellite Fish Co., Vancouver Island Sea Salt, Island Farms Dairy, Silver Rill Corn, Dan’s Farm Market, Kildara Farms, Lockwood Farms, Island Farms Poultry Collective, Anitas Mill and Long View Farms.
“I am using produce in different ways to maximize yield, support local suppliers and bring food to bellies not bins,” Armand said.
He selected suppliers that he feels are strongest in their area. For example, Satellite Fish Co. for his whole fish needs.
“I got accustomed to the good stuff and whole untouched fish straight from the ocean is easy to find in Australia,” Armand said. “Here pretty much no one is doing whole fish and he’s still committed to selling whole fish. Trying to keep the quality and everything.”
Even the serving dishes are sourced from the west coast, created by his sister Keisha Armand (@quicheceramics) who lived on the Island for five years and is now based in Berkeley, Calif. She has hand thrown all the pottery using 100 per cent recycled clay.
“My dream is to be able to create a zero waste restaurant, and my vision of a modern fish shop on the Island. I love fine dining cuisine and would love my restaurant to have this code,” Armand said. “However, I want to do it in a manner that is ethical, sustainable, and brings as much joy to people as I can.”
Open to chefs aged 18 to 30, the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition aims to identify the best young chefs around the world, showcase their talent, and accelerate their professional development. Check out the competitors and vote for the chef who best represents their personal beliefs with their dish online at https://www.sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com/the-competition now through Oct. 18.
