Gordon Bell Kitchen Brigade Cooks Up National Title, Earns Trip to Paris
June 12, 2026
Gordon Bell High School's Kitchen Brigade team has cooked up a national victory, earning the title of Canada's top culinary brigade and securing the opportunity to represent Canadian high schools on the international stage later this month.
The team claimed the national championship at the Kitchen Brigade final competition held June 7 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) Culinary School in Montreal. Their first-place finish earned them the honour of representing Canada in an international culinary competition on June 20 in Paris, France, where they will compete against a team from Collège Louis Nucera in Nice, France.
The championship-winning team includes Grade 8-12 students Avery Van Solkema, Adetooni Adegoke, Cailyn Olshevski, Yevhen Zinchenko and Matea Thiessen-Unger. Together, they have participated in Kitchen Brigade for one to three years, developing culinary skills, teamwork and confidence through the program.
Working alongside local chef mentor Patrick Royandoyan of Princess Auto, the students rose to the challenge in Montreal, where the final competition required teams to create a dish featuring secret ingredients: red fish, asparagus and tomatoes.
As if the stakes weren't already high enough, organizers added an unexpected twist to the menu. Just five days before the competition, teams learned they would also face a Smoothie Challenge. Competitors were evaluated on visual appeal, smooth consistency, use of dairy milk and taste.
For the Gordon Bell team, the national title is about more than culinary excellence. "Gordon Bell High School isn't known as a competitive school, so this win is something our school community is very proud of," said the Kitchen Brigade team in a joint statement. "We are recognized for our skills and passions. It's a huge honour to represent not just the country or province, but our school as well. We're showing the world what Gordon Bell students are capable of, which is very meaningful."
The Kitchen Brigade program brings students together to learn culinary techniques, nutrition, food preparation and teamwork while exploring career pathways in the culinary arts and hospitality industries.
