Rockets Master Chef
The Kelowna Rockets were at Kelowna Secondary School in the foods classroom on Tuesday night for their very own Master Chef competition.
The boys were split up into five teams and provided $50 to purchase ingredients for preparing a dish of their choice to be scored by a crew of three culinary judges – Head Coach Jason Smith, Assistant Coach Kris Mallette, and Video/Goaltending Coach Adam Brown judged the competition. Assistant Coach Travis Crickard hosted the event. Each judge scored each dish in three categories – Taste, Plating, and Originality with a score of 60 being perfect. The winning team was awarded gift cards for their efforts.
Each team had an appointed leader and was allowed to choose what to make:
Team 1 – Gordie Ballhorn – Chicken Parmesan
Team 2 – James Hilsendager – Cast Iron Steak with asparagus
Team 3 -Brodan Salmond – Stuffed Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Team 4 – Erik Gardiner – Lemon Salmon
Team 5 – Kyle Topping – Shrimp Pasta
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Team Ballhorn which consisted of Gordie Ballhorn, Marek Skvrne, Nolan Foote, Colum McGauley, and Braydyn Chizen ended up taking victory with their Chicken Parmesan dish, scoring a whopping 51 total points. Team Gardiner which consisted of Erik Gardiner, Jack Cowell, Kyle Pow, and James Porter finished a close second, scoring 49 points.
Assistant Coach Travis Crickard says team building events like this let players open up around each other and bond.
“First off it was an opportunity for the guys to get a little uncomfortable and have some fun. More importantly though, it helps them learn about teamwork and it shows them who takes teamwork seriously,” Crickard said. “The winning groups took it very seriously, they looked like they had a lot of fun, and they made some really good food for our coach judges.”
You can catch the Rockets boys out of the kitchen and in the rink on Friday night when they open up the regular season against the Kamloops Blazers here at Prospera Place. Puck drop is 7:05pm.
Tickets are available for Rockets home games through selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050.
