Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 16/05) - It's a bit like Survivor for gourmet chefs.

Pierre LePage, owner and chef at Le Frolic Bistro and L'Heritage Restaurant, is in Charlottetown to compete against other elite chefs from North America and Europe in the International PEI Shellfish Challenge.

The walls of Pierre LePage's Le Frolic Bistro are decorated with a lifetime of cooking and restaurant awards. He's in PEI this weekend, hoping to add one more trophy to his collection.

Judges reveal the list of ingredients today, 24 hours prior to Saturday's competition. The list will include either lobster, mussels, rock crab, oysters, clams, scallops or shrimp.

Within five hours of receiving the list, LePage will present the judges with a detailed menu and recipes.

"I'll have a good game plan before I go to bed (tonight), for sure," he said.

Then tomorrow morning he'll step into the kitchen to prepare. At that time he can place a pot of water on the stove, but he can't turn it on. He can arrange flour, vegetables and other ingredients on the counter, but he can't measure or chop them.

At noon the contest heats up. LePage will have five hours to create a shellfish feast for eight, consisting of an appetizer, main course and desert.

His strategy will be to concentrate on taste and texture, focusing on presentation in his spare minutes.

"Five hours goes very quickly in the kitchen," he said. "Some people get frustrated, uptight and stressed. The secret in this business is to stay calm."

If LePage wins in PEI, patrons at his Bistro can expect to see a new shellfish dish on the menu, he said.