Home »
Chef Barnes headed to Stone Soup grand finale
Who will face him at the final event? Find out Friday.
It was a greatly anticipated semi-final match-up.
Lindsay Waugh of Hot Shots Café and Graham Barnes of Max’s Place met today for an epic cook-off in the latest round of the Kootenay Granite Stone Soup Challenge. The two chefs both come from beloved Cranbrook cafés that feature great coffee, and a diverse selection of homemade baked goods, soups, sandwiches, wraps and salads. Their clientele are loyal; their community roots are deep.
However, the chefs themselves are in very different stages of their careers. Waugh is a first-year student in the College of the Rockies Professional Cook Training Program, just beginning to develop her skills and explore her passions for culinary flavours, styles and techniques. But she is no amateur when it comes to soup – she has been creating soups in the Hot Shots Café kitchen for close to three years.
Barnes has been in the industry for 22 years, the last four of which he has been the co-owner and chef of Max’s Place, downtown Cranbrook. His confidence and skill is commanding, and those who take a moment to watch him cook in the kitchen are captivated by the meticulous flurry of slicing, dicing and spicing.
Both chefs created a unique turkey vegetable soup today, Barnes choosing to add rice to his creation, while Waugh opted for pasta.
In the end, by a vote of 24 to 19, it was Chef Barnes who earned himself a spot in the final event.
Friday, Chef Carmen Alaric of the Salvation Army will challenge Chef Rusty Cox of The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse.
The victorious chefs from each of the semi-final events will move onto the grand finale public fundraiser Wednesday, March 2, noon to 1:30 p.m.
The final event, sponsored by Investors Group, takes place at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort. Tickets to the soup-off are available in two prices: $25 for lunch; or, $45 for lunch and a $20 charitable receipt. They can be purchased with cash at Max’s Place, through the CDCF office by calling 250-426-1119 or online through Snapd East Kootenay.
Cranbrook and District Community Foundation
