Kerry McClusky
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Sep 27/99) - When Montreal-trained chef Michele Lachance isn't spending three days putting together a meal of exquisitely prepared country foods for Prime Minister Jean Chretien and France's President Jacques Chirac, he's bringing home medals for Nunavut.

National cooking medals, that is.

Invited to compete recently against 10 other chefs from across the country in the 1999 Canadian Chef Tournament held in Quebec City, Lachance, the head chef at the Frobisher Inn in Iqaluit, said it was pride in his territory that led him to the only competition he's ever participated in during the eight years he has worked as a professional chef.

"I went to represent Nunavut and to show what we can do up here and to get people to discover this place," said Lachance, proudly displaying the third-place trophy he secured for his dish of caribou steak topped by a blueberry-gin sauce.

During the competition, Lachance explained that each contestant was given six ingredients to work with.

"You don't know what you're going to get and you're on TV and on stage in front of 250 people and they present you with the tray and you have two minutes to look at it and 30 minutes to execute the plate."

Judged on cleanliness, stress management and technique, close attention was also paid to how well each of the six ingredients was combined into the recipe.

"I was lucky, I got caribou," said Lachance, who took the opportunity in the south to promote his territory's foods on a national stage.

"Some chefs asked me later where they could get this food and they're going to call me about it," said Lachance.

Also responsible for hosting a presentation about Nunavut as part of his participation in the competition, the 22-year kitchen veteran served up Baffin char prepared three different ways and handed out maps, flags and other souvenirs to the audience.

"I was told that 350 people came to that presentation. It had the biggest turnout and when people tasted the char, they were amazed. They just loved the product."

Lachance said he had also made it his personal mission to learn more about the preparation of country foods and tundra plants in an effort to bring more of them to the table at the Frobisher Inn. He noted that much of his learning would likely be done at the hands of his 12 staff.

"I have a lady who does tremendous bannock that tastes great, they're beautiful and that's how I learned it. And when I ordered caribou, I asked the staff who are Inuit, what is the best part to eat frozen and they showed me."