John Bard, the Lake House on Canandaigua executive pastry chef, may not have won it all, but he did finish in third place in his group in the quarter finals of a national contest.
Bard competed in the Favorite Chef online competition, hosted by Carla Hall of the Food Network. Voting ended last week.
Third is still an impressive showing when considering the 1,000-plus people Bard was competing against, and he is rooting for all the other competitors who are still alive in the competition.
“Although I really would’ve loved to win the entire competition, I’m glad I was able to make it as far as I did with the help and support of the community,” Bard said.
Had he won, Bard would have received a mention in the Taste of Home magazine, an opportunity to cook with celebrity chef Carla Hall on an episode of “Chewed Up” and take home $25,000.
Bard, who joined the Lake House in January 2021 and hopes to compete again next year, considers part of this process a win; he was hoping to bring the Finger Lakes to the attention of the country.
Mission accomplished.
“I’m honored to show a little bit of light to our lovely culinary scene that we have here,” Bard said.
Mike Murphy covers Canandaigua and other communities in Ontario County and writes the Eat, Drink and Be Murphy food and drink column. He can be reached at mmurphy@messengerpostmedia.com. Follow him on X at @MPN_MikeMurphy.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Canandaigua chef finishes third in national Favorite Chef competition
Reporting by Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
