{Event} Danish culinary experience with Michelin star Chef Paul Cunningham

Website: http://www.thebay.com/
Address: 176 Yonge St. Hudson Bay Queen St. Toronto ON
When I attended: Sept. 19th, 2014

Here is my experience with Michelin star Chef Paul Cunningham at a Hudson Bay event.

The Hudson Bay on Queen St. launched a 3-week pop-up store starting from September 12th to October 6th, 2014 called #DanishDesignObsessed showcasing Danish fashion, jewelry and housewares. As part of the Danish theme, on September 19th, 2014, I was invited to the 7th floor at the Bay to watch a cooking demonstration from Michelin Star Chef Paul Cunningham and to meet Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, the HRH Crown Princess of Denmark…yes a princess! I arrived late to the event and unfortunately missed the crown princess. The event itself was pretty laid back with plenty of time to chat with the Chef and to take pictures.

I have never met a Michelin star chef before and was intrigued by the Chef’s bio prior to the event. It was nice to have him travel to our busy metropolitan city, a different world from his quiet west coast residence in Denmark, where Chef Cunningham currently works as the head  Chef at Henne Kirkeby Kro. Chef Cunningham was the co-owner of The Paul where he received a Michelin star in the Michelin’s Guide Rouge in 2003-2011.

At the demonstration, Chef Cunningham prepared a deconstructed lemon meringue pie with a tart lemon curd, meringue, and fresh blueberries. The best part of the dish was the addition of some good quality olive oil at the base of the plate which was a tasty surprise element that helped the flavours of the dish pop.

Also at the event, I was one of the lucky attendees who got a signed copy of the Chef’s beautiful cookbook Paul Food, one of the 7 cookbooks the Chef has published to date.

After the demonstration, I was invited to a Danish lunch in the Foodwares market (@Foodwares), a nice eatery on the lower level of the Bay. I got to sample a hot plate with pork loin, mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, as well as an assortment of open-faced sandwiches called Smorrebrod. There were also samples of Danish beer and cheeses opened to the public.

At food events, it is always nice to run into familiar faces including my blogger friends. Another familiar face I finally got to meet was Chef John Higgins, the Director of George Brown Chef school and one of the Chopped Canada judges on Canada’s Food Network. I finally got to share my experience taking the culinary arts program at the college.

The most memorable part of the event was not the food, rather it was the rare opportunity to meet the down-to-earth Chef and getting his cookbook signed. It is worth connecting with the funny and talented Chef on Instagram, his pictures like his cookbooks are vibrant and full of character, just like he is!