Andrew Newman

Andrew Newman is the kind of cook who never turns down a challenge, and is always willing to experiment. “I always try to make something I’ve never made before, and if it turns out, then it’s awesome,” says Newman with a laugh.

That’s why the 22-year-old chef from Edmonton, Alberta, can’t wait to turn out brand-new dishes made from a combination of local and Canadian ingredients at the Canada Pavilion during Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

Newman, a graduate from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Culinary Arts program, is one of six young chefs working under leader Wayne Murphy in the culinary program at the Canada Pavilion.

Prior to travelling to Shanghai, Newman was an apprentice cook at the Westin Hotel in Edmonton. One of Newman’s favourite meals to prepare is roasted pork belly. He likes the mouth-watering combination of melting fat and crispy skin after the dish is cooked for a long time. “I like cooking all different kinds of foods, so the more I can learn wherever I’m at, the better,” says Newman.

Beginning in junior high, Newman began cooking at home for fun, enjoying both the stress of a hectic kitchen and the satisfaction of feeding people good meals. After enrolling in the Culinary Arts program out of interest, he discovered he liked the program so much he wanted to make cooking his chosen profession.

Newman still remembers his first ‘professional’ meal: a three-course table d’hote involving foie gras torchon, saddle of rabbit, elk medallions with a sweet potato and blue-cheese pavé, and poached pears with gingerbread cookies. “The teachers stressed Canadian ingredients,” he says. “Local is always best.”

Newman’s dream is to gain as much experience as possible over the next 20 years, ideally spending much of that time abroad. He got bitten by the travel bug when he began entering culinary competitions, one of which took him to Singapore.

The competitions require extensive practice and strict discipline, as coaches critique competitors’ signature dishes, such as the four entrees Newman was required to enter in one recent national competition. During the practice period, “I went through eight or nine plates before I got the four plates that I needed,” he recalls. The hard work paid off in the form of a gold medal in that competition – and, ultimately, in the chance to join the Canadian culinary team in Shanghai. “I want to see how far it can take me,” says Newman.