Red River College culinary students went whole hog on a recent kitchen competition that doubled as a mouthwatering showcase for locally sourced products from Manitoba Pork.

Last Friday at Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, students from RRC’s Culinary Arts program took part in the 2015 Manitoba Pork Cook-off, a reality TV-style showdown in which they were tasked with creating dishes suitable for an upscale restaurant.

The annual event builds on the longstanding partnership between RRC and Manitoba Pork, and allows both partners to introduce new recipes for market, while showcasing innovative applied uses for Manitoba pork.

As part of the competition, students were asked to prepare an appetizer and an entrée, then present their dishes to a panel of judges consisting of Manitoba Pork reps, local chefs and RRC faculty.

The winning dishes are listed below:

• First place ($1,000): Krunal Patel’s spiced and maple glazed Manitoba pork tenderloin, with sweet potato ginger puree, star anise pickled mustard seeds and grilled corn and red pepper ragout
• Second place ($750): Mark Torres’ pork tenderloin stuffed with apple and cranberries mixed with whipping cream and sugar, and glazed with honey cinnamon with a rubbing of roasted walnuts
• Third place ($500): Vien Salimbacod’s juniper braised pork butt with sous-vide of rosemary pork tenderloin, potatoes Dauphine and roasted vegetables with cranberry sauce and honey maple glaze

Learn more about RRC’s Culinary Arts program.