A Cambridge, On chef will be representing Canada on a global stage.
Rick Duffy, the head chef at Ernie’s Roadhouse in Hespeler Village, will be heading to the World Food Championship in Dallas, Texas this week.
“I never competed with food, never looked at food competing with it that way,” said Duffy. “This is a whole new gamut for me to do this kind of thing. So it will be really exciting.”
Duffy has been cooking for more than 20 years.
The five-day outdoor cooking competition brings in the top 1,000 chefs from across the globe, battling for a category championship title and a shot at a $75,000.
“I’m the only person I know that’s competing in the World Food Championship from this area,” he said.
There are 10 different categories in the competition, including burgers, bacon, dessert, seafood, and sandwiches. Duffy will be competing in the sandwiches category, along with 67 other chefs.
“Everybody knows me as the poor boy chef, the Irish chef, so keeping it Irish, you can guarantee there’s Guinness inside this sandwich, for sure," he said.
The ten category winners will then reconvene later this year, where they will compete for the overall title of World Food Champ.
“He’s got an award-winning sandwich right there,” said Nicole Borysiewicz, owner of Ernie’s Roadhouse. “I think he’s got a win coming his way. He really does such amazing work. I think it’s only natural for the rest of the world to get to experience his cooking.”
To qualify for the competition, Duffy had to compete in a previous contest.
“I went to the Taste of Canada competition that the World Food Championship held. I submitted three different categories and won all three,” Duffy said.
He said he’s excited to show off his food and to represent Canada.
“I love the experience of cooking," he added.
