Chef Buzzalino Advances in Culinary Cup
The stoves were hot and the competition was hotter as two local chefs faced off in the final preliminary round of the Culinary Cup at the Calgary Stampede on Tuesday afternoon. Inside the BMO Centre at Taste of Stampede, spectators watched as Alejandro Buzzalino, executive chef for Salt+Brick, defeated Heonyeol Jeong, a sous chef from Vintage Group, to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Dish Details and Judging Criteria
Buzzalino’s winning dish featured a pork tenderloin pinwheel with cauliflower and broccolini, accompanied by a maple bacon green apple tart with green apple sorbet on a crisp blue corn shell. The dishes were judged by the Taste of Calgary committee based on taste, creativity, and presentation.
“Honestly, I am not a chef that practises his dishes, so I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to make it all in one hour,” Buzzalino said. “I’m just super proud that I came up with a dish.”
Tournament Structure
The bracket-style tournament started with 16 local chefs, divided into old-school chefs born before 1985 and new-school chefs born after 1985. In the preliminary round, chefs had one hour to cook a dish they had prepared in mind. The tournament spans 10 days of timed challenges, with a $10,000 championship title at stake.
Buzzalino, known for his transformative raw fish dishes, opted for a dish that showcased Alberta ingredients and techniques. He also leveraged past competition experience, using liquid nitrogen to make his sorbet. “It was more fun than stressful,” he said, noting the dynamic banter between the audience and volunteers fueled his energy.
Event Background and Goals
Liz Riehl, second vice-chair for the Taste of Stampede committee, explained the event’s purpose: “That’s really what the Calgary Stampede is about, is celebrating the agricultural community and sharing that knowledge back with the people that come and visit.” The Culinary Cup was organized quickly, starting only at the beginning of 2026, but Riehl was ecstatic with the turnout and audience engagement.
“There’s a lot of traffic that comes through (the BMO Centre), people are stopping, but the really exciting thing is people are coming and they’re staying,” said Riehl. The event allows Calgarians to watch cooking demos, community cook-offs, and learn from professionals over 10 days.
Future Growth
Riehl expressed enthusiasm for the competition’s future: “We’re going to grow it as much as possible, because it’s been really fun. It’s a really great way to bring the Calgary culinary community into the Stampede.” The Culinary Cup continues with semifinals and finals in the coming days.
