OUTLOOK - A local young woman impressed judges in the city of Toronto as part of a live culinary showdown that was streamed live online.
Back on October 23, Outlook's own Cassie Lockhart competed in the Culinary & Bar Star Competition put on by Canadian restaurant chain Montana's BBQ. Lockhart is a server at one of the popular eatery's Saskatoon locations and was invited to compete in the event as a finalist, offering her take on cocktails to a panel of tasting judges.
Lockhart served judges a dessert cocktail called a 'Montana's Milk Moustache', consisting of spiced rum, Irish cream liquor, maple syrup, ice cream mix, milk, cinnamon, and finished with a maraschino cherry.
The experience, including the trip to Toronto and getting to know other servers from across the country, was one that Cassie will remember for quite some time.
"We got a tour of the Montana's head office in Vaughn where the competition took place and were introduced to so many amazing people there!" she explained in a post to social media. "There was a helper for each category (culinary and bar) who kept us all on track and helped everything move along very smoothly. The whole team was very welcoming and so fun to chat with and a handful of them hung out with us for the whole day and into the evening!"
Several of the competition's entrants were returning contestants from previous events, and it wasn't long before Lockhart had made herself some new pals as everyone hung together and enjoyed the major Canadian city.
"We met each other Wednesday morning and very quickly became good pals," she said. "We all learned a bit about each other and spent all day together; from the competition, to chatting in the bus on the way to the hotel, to walking around downtown Toronto, to dinner/drinks, to the Raptors game, to celebrating Karine’s birthday in the hotel lobby at midnight (and a late night walk to get ice cream/cheesecake…because you can’t have a birthday without dessert). I even went though my first revolving door like a real big city gal (they’re heavier than I thought, which makes sense I guess...) I also took my first 'alone flight' and took the train for the first time."
Judges enjoyed the cocktail creation that Lockhart had presented to them, which seemed to set itself apart both on taste and from a visual standpoint.
For her efforts, Lockhart won 2nd Place in the competition and was awarded a cash prize of $500, but the young woman believes the experience was worth more than any dollar amount.
"I am extremely grateful for having this opportunity and it was super cool being treated like an 'important person' for my time there," she said. "We even had a personal bus chauffeur named Mike and a very nice gentleman named Justin looking after us in the Coors Light Chill Zone at the Raptors game. My coworkers had a nice card and lots of 'congratulations' and hugs waiting for me when I got back to work."
Lockhart is thankful for everyone's support back home and hopes to try her hand at the competition next year.
For those interested in checking out Cassie in action during the competition, you can check out the video on YouTube at youtube.com/watch?v=xHv0cUMuKnQ and fast-forward to roughly 22:30 to see Lockhart present her cocktail concoction.
