Oakville's Hexagon Restaurant and 7 Enoteca executive chef Rafael Covarrubias, 25, won the North American San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition in New York City on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
Internationally considered the most prestigious competition for young chefs, the San Pellegrino Young Chef Awards celebrate the future of gastronomy. Covarrubias’ winning dish, “Mole Spiced Muscovy Duck, Preserved Prune and Winter Roots”, reflects his background as a Mexican in Canada.
“The inspiration for my dish emerges from my strong belief that people around the world come together through the sharing of food. The dish is based on the fusion between my Mexican roots and my experience as a newcomer to Canada. As an immigrant, I see how cultures can work together to create food that allows people to find similarities in one another.”
Joining Covarrubias as a runner-up was another Oakville chef Marvin Palomo. The 26 year-old is chef de cuisine at 7 Enoteca. He won the “Fine Dining Food Lovers Food for Thought Award”. Palomo presented a dish called “Dungeness Crab Chawanmushi”, a celebration of his roots.
“As a Filipino immigrant who grew up in an urban melting pot with a rich and diverse culture like the city of Toronto, I wanted this dish to reflect who I am as a cook. I want this dish to represent who I was as a child to the progression and journey I made as a young cook to the chef I am today by highlighting Canadian ingredients.”
The organization chose 10 young chefs from across Canada, the United States and Mexico. The chefs competed for the North American title in New York City over November 4th and 5th.
Each chef presented their signature dish to the panel of esteemed judges on November 4th. Toronto’s Rob Gentile of BucaRestaurant was one of the judges.
After deliberations the judges announced the winner and three runner-ups on the evening of November 5th.
As winner and runner-up, both Oakville chefs will travel to Milan in May of 2020. There they will represent North America in the global competition for San Pellegrino Best Young Chef 2019-2020.
About Rafael Covarrubias
Born in Querétaro, Mexico, Covarrubias left at age 17 to pursue a culinary career that brought him to Canada. Covarrubias joined Hexagon Restaurant and 7 Enoteca by way of MARKET Restaurant in Calgary, Alberta. He was part of the opening team for Hexagon Restaurant in February of 2017.
About Marvin Palomo
Palomo was born in the Philippines and raised in Markham. He is an honours graduate of the prestigious Culinary Management Program at George Brown College. His post-graduate experience was at a Michelin star restaurant in Piedmonte, Italy, as well as in Hong Kong. Palomo brought his talent to 7 Enoteca in March of 2018.
Hexagon was reviewed by Oakville News on May 23 2019 - Hexagon is World Class - Restaurant Review
