Six years in the Industry and countless competitions.
"Take any challenge and anything on"
Chef Siohban Detkavich is only 21, yet has made an impact in BC and Canada with her competitive nature, drive, and focus. She has been a part of the Industry since grade 10 even though it was never her intention to be a cook!
Photo Credit: Food Network Canada
Yet, her introduction to the culinary industry put her on the fast track to be a competitive chef since she participated in 13 competitions in her first year of culinary . This competitive edge led her to the 2019 Apprentice of the Year competition hosted by the CTS!
So it is no surprise she has become the youngest chef and first Indigenous competitor on Top Chef Canada.
Originally from Nanaimo, Detkavich moved to Oliver when she was 15 and was placed into a Senior food class. This led to Detkavich’s introduction to the trades, when one of the high school’s career counsellors asked the class, who would like to leave school for a year?
Volunteering for the Industry Training Authority (ITA) Youth Program opportunity, Detkavich saw the value in cooking as a great life school and knew she could do it. So she left high school in grade 11 to attend the Culinary Arts program at Okanagan College.
That’s when the daily grind in the Industry began for Siobhan with full-time culinary school and a dishwasher job at Terrafina Restaurant at the Hester Creek Winery in Kelowna. Both culinary school and dishwashing would lead her to competition.
While at Terrafina, Chef Jenna Pillon asked Detkavich if she wanted to learn the line and ended up apprenticing under her. As one of Detkavich’s biggest influences in her life and a competition chef herself, it just makes sense Detkavich would follow in her footsteps- while charting her own path.
At each step along the way, Detkavich was able to recognize the opportunities that arose and the importance of the connections she was making through Culinary School, competitions, and in the kitchen as part of a team. She wanted to see the world and what the industry had to offer. So when she received an email about Apprentice of the Year in 2019 that asked her to apply, well, she did! And became one of ten competitors at the November 2019 competition.
What is Siohban’s favourite part of competition cooking? The adrenaline that rushes through her when in the midst of the competition and challenging herself to explore new things. Many are about thinking on your feet and it may not necessarily be the best but she comes out laughing at the end.
For Apprentice of the Year, Detkavich was able to do ample preparation time to create her menu, dial in on the dishes, practice, practice, practice, in multiple different kitchens, and was awake for 39 hours leading up to the competition- of which 32 were spent cooking.
But for Top Chef Canada? Everything was different, which meant her preparation was completely different and a had a large mental and emotional capacity to it. While Apprentice of the Year has portions filmed or photographed, Siobhan was aware that all of Canada could see her mistakes and she could make her debut on TMZ with Top Chef Canada.
After reflecting, researching, studying ratios and basic recipes to prepare, essentially she decided she just had to be ready, which she had experienced thanks to her brother pushing her off a cliff when she was younger!
Preparing for Top Chef Canada helped to bring Detkavich back to basics and learning how to adapt as planning may not work out as ingredients in the kitchen one day may not be there the next!
Chef Detkavich currently works as the demi chef de partie at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in Kelowna.
This is one part of her journey in the Industry. But what’s next?
Photo Credit: Food Network Canada
Chef Detkavich plans to continue to compete and has her eye on future competitions like Hawsworth and the Gold Medal Plates & the Canadian Culinary Championship. Siobhan has some experience with Gold Medal plates as she worked alongside Chef Alex Chen in 2017 when he won, but due to the cost of living in Vancouver she was unable to accept a job offer that followed. She would love to work with him in the future though as she can see the empire he is building.
She’d consider more television competitions but is also highly aware of the experience and preparation it takes for many opportunities. While competition is part of Detkavich’s culinary career, she also wants others in the industry that it is okay if they aren’t!
But if it scares you when you ask yourself, “Should I do this?” then it might be worth going for it, as Detkavich points out that fear is what is going to drive you. The sky is the limit and only you are holding yourself back!
Siobhan approaches life the same way she looks at food- try everything twice because maybe the first time it wasn’t cooked right.
The holy trinity of the kitchen according to Siobhan is: Head down, Hard work, “Oui Chef.” but no matter what industry if you put your mind to it, you can do it.