The first ever Underground Chef Cartel (UCC) was a huge success! Held on Monday February 8, 2015 at Toronto’s Teppan Kenta. This exclusive event was hosted by Viva’s own food ambassador Devan Rajkumar. “It was Toronto’s first Underground Chef Battle featuring two Chefs battling head to head with one secret ingredient,” says Rajkumar.
The chefs were Eric Wood of The Maple Leaf Tavern, PORT and Deron Engbers, formerly at Rock Lobster. “The chefs battled to build their street credibility,” says Rajkumar. The event hit capacity one hour before the battle even started, and there was a lineup outside before the doors opened. There were also plenty of local celebrities on hand, including guest judge Ben Mulroney.
The secret ingredients were live BC Crab and kalettes. And in the end Chef Engbers was the last chef standing.
“The cartel is an outlet for us to execute our culinary vision,” says Rajkumar. “Our aim is to venture into many different aspects of the culinary industry which includes, but is not limited to: pop up restaurants, battles and competitions, food writing, instructing, charity events and volunteer work. All while building a team of like minded chefs.”
Photography by: Juni Bimm
