Articles
OVIDE BOUCHER CULINARY PRIZE 2011 Journalist: Myriam Sainson
Date: 2011-28-11 Region: Sherbrooke
The Pavilion du Vieux Sherbrooke, on Wednesday, November 23 (3:30p.m.) was the site of the presentation of the “Ovide Boucher Culinary Prize” to Stephanie Boucher Dion (21), a graduate from the 2011 Professional Chef program at the Centre 24 Juin. Karine Drapeau and Alexandra Letky were also finalists in this competition. This prize is sponsored by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste of the Diocese of Sherbrooke (SSJB) in collaboration with the Fédération des Chefs de cuisine, the Commission Scolaire of Sherbrooke, the professors of the Pavilion du Vieux Sherbrooke en Àlimentation et Tourisme et du Centre de formation professionnel 24 juin. Special guests at the event were Marcel Bureau - Director and Micheline Dupuis – President of the SSJB, Lise Boule – Director of the School, Steve Beauchemin – teacher responsible for the program “Alimentation et tourisme”.
The “Ovide Boucher Culinary Prize” has existed since December 1, 1981, created in honor of the man who whole-heartedly supported the Société Saint-Jean Baptiste over a period of thirty years, through a loyal and close collaboration. He spent his last eighteen years at the Hôtel Dieu Hospital. He was a professional chef by trade and was always considered to be “a passionate defender of Estrie and culinary heritage”. He was also a devoted member of the Canadian Federation of Chefs. He passed away suddenly, in 1981, after a short illness. His memory will always be cherished by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste of Sherbrooke.
In the summer of 2011, Stéphanie Dion, winner of the Ovide Boucher Culinary Prize, gained experience working aboard Escapade Memphremagog (Le Grand Cru), in Magog –from May to October 2011. ''Among the many possible careers available, I have chosen to become a professional chef. I, personally, find this profession is the only one that touches so many people and so many different levels of society. The way that we choose to cook can take on the characteristics of one country or another. The recipe that we follow to the letter, coming from the pages of a book, can be transformed into a piece of knowledge that is passed from one generation to another''.