Sydney Hamelin is no stranger to the kitchen as cooking has always been something that she was drawn to. “I love making beautiful and delicious food that others can enjoy,” Hamelin said. This passion has led Hamelin to a career for the past six years, currently working for Taste Hospitality Group in Saskatoon. Additionally, the draw of cooking has also taken Hamelin on a path which included numerous cooking competitions.
Most recently, Hamelin competed in the Nutrien Wintershines Hybrid Festival ‘Soup for the Soul,’ on February 19 & 29. This competition brought together nine top chefs from around Saskatoon to compete with their own unique soup creations.
Typically, the competition is open to the public to watch and come sample the finished product; however, due to the pandemic, things were done a little differently this year. “This year instead of having the public come and taste the soups, we were able to bring the soup to different care homes in Saskatoon for them to enjoy,” Hamelin noted. Completed soups were donated to locations in need such as; Friendship Inn, Lighthouse, Central Haven, Oliver Lodge, Sunnyside, Stensrud Lodge, Porteous Lodge, Extendicare and Samaritan’s Place.
‘Soup for the Soul’ was a Blackbox Competition, which means that chef’s participating in the event were provided with a box of identical ingredients to work with, adding three ingredients of their choosing. “I love doing these types of competitions because it allows you to think on your feet. Although every competitor has the same ingredients, it is amazing to see all of the different outcomes.”
This year, ingredients consisted of carrot, garlic, onion, celery, apple cider vinegar, lemon, cauliflower, mushroom, wild rice, tomato, chickpeas, thyme, parsley and chicken, with Hamelin choosing kale, pork and flour as her three ingredients. This inspired Hamelin’s winning “Saskatchewan Wedding Soup” – earning her the title of “Soup Master of the Year”.
Previously, Hamelin has participated in numerous other culinary competitions including Skills Canada – where she won three provincial gold medals, as well as being a World Skills Prospect; the title of Top Chef at Taste of Saskatchewan; and winning two gold medals with Youth Team Canada for the Culinary Olympics! Hamelin is also currently on Team Canada for the World Cup in 2022.
