This is it. The nine Gold Medal Plates competitions held at the end of 2011 all lead to this final showdown in Kelowna, B.C. the Canadian Culinary Championships. On February 10 and 11, the Gold Medallists from their respective cities will battle it out and the victor will hail as the best chef in Canada. Executive Chef Michael Dekker of Rouge Restaurant and Chef Jonathan Gushue of Ontario's Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa will be representing Calgary and Toronto, respectively in this battle. Full list of finalists include:

• Michael Dacquisto - Wow Hospitality, Winnipeg
• Jean-Philippe St-Denis - Kitchen Galerie Poisson, Montreal
• Michael Dekker - Rouge, Calgary
• Jan Trittenbach - Packrat Louie, Edmonton
• Rob Feenie - Cactus Club Cafe, Vancouver
• Anthony McCarthy - The Saskatoon Club, Saskatoon
• Jonathan Gushue - Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa, Toronto
• Marc Lepine - Atelier, Ottawa
• Mike Barsky - Bacalao, St. John's

up! magazine had the honour of sampling the cuisine at Rouge Restaurant, where co-owner Chef Paul Rogalski and Dekker hosted Gushue for a collaborative dinner as part of the Visa Infinite Dinner Series.

The menu was simple. Each dish was described only by its main protein or course--scallops, arctic char, foie gras, sweetbreads, palate cleanser, beef, cheese, and dessert. It was clear when the dishes arrived that the techniques and preparation were far from bare bones. What was denoted by just 'sweetbreads' on the menu was juicy sweetbreads kielbasa over sauerkraut and bacon with parsley pesto.

Sweetbreads kielbasa. Photo by Dan Clapson.

While the chefs and their food are the stars of the competition, Ed Robertson from the Barenaked Ladies and Juno winner Barney Bentall will be performing at the Grand Finale gala event. For more information about the competition, visit Canadian Culinary Championships online.