The Vancouver Foodster Lasagna Challenge was a success featuring creations from restaurants around greater Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their Lasagna creation from February 6-29, 2020. Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Deanna Woo, Maggi Mei and David Grange.
Each media judge will have scored the creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points). The total number of points a lasagna creation could earn is 120 points.
The Winners are:
1st Place:
{102 points}
Artusi Restaurant
Passion of the Porcini
Price: $22
Created by Chef Delbert Cirfera
Description: Artusi cuisine embraces inspirations from the history of Italian regional recipes. While modern lasagna made with Ragù dates back to the late 19th century, using cream and mushroom in lasagna recipes dates back as far as the 13th century. With this historical inspiration, Chef Cirfera designed a dish with comforting winter flavours in mind – blending earthy and delicious Porcini mushrooms, nuts and rosemary with cream, wine and cheese – into a rich and decadent contemporary style of dish. This is Artusi.
Offered: Monday – Saturday Lunch and dinner (closed Sunday)
Artusi Restaurant
412 6th Street, New Westminster
Tel: (604) 553-9922
Website: http://www.artusirestaurant.com/
Instagram @artusirestaurant
Chef Delbert Cirfera
2nd Place:
{96 points}
Sprezzatura
Porcini Lasagne
Price: $16
Created by: Chef Jesse Jobin
Description: 5 layers of Porcini, rapini, ricotta, fior di latte and Bechamel, topped with fresh grated parmesan after the oven
Offered: Daily from 11:30am to close.
Sprezzatura
265 Kingsway, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 876-6333
Instagram @sprezzatura_van
3rd Place:
{93 points}
Ragazzi Pizza
Vegetariano Lasagna
Price: $12
Created by: Chef Paul Teixeira
Description: The perfect Blend of spinach and ricotta layered between a Marinara sauce slow cooked to perfection smothered in mozzarella and parmesan cheese served with a piece of garlic focaccia made with our award winning pizza dough.
Offered: Tuesday – Sunday all the time (closed Monday)
Ragazzi Pizza
2996 E. 22nd Avenue, Vancouver
Tel: 604-433-2235
Web: http://www.ragazzipizza.com/
Twitter: @RagazziPizza
Instagram: @ragazzipizza
Chef Paul Teixeira
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Lasagna creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Artusi Restaurant
Passion of the Porcini
Price: $22
Created by Chef Delbert Cirfera
Description: Artusi cuisine embraces inspirations from the history of Italian regional recipes. While modern lasagna made with Ragù dates back to the late 19th century, using cream and mushroom in lasagna recipes dates back as far as the 13th century. With this historical inspiration, Chef Cirfera designed a dish with comforting winter flavours in mind – blending earthy and delicious Porcini mushrooms, nuts and rosemary with cream, wine and cheese – into a rich and decadent contemporary style of dish. This is Artusi.
Offered: Monday – Saturday Lunch and dinner (closed Sunday)
Artusi Restaurant
412 6th Street, New Westminster
Tel: (604) 553-9922
Website: http://www.artusirestaurant.com/
Instagram @artusirestaurant
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Ragazzi Pizza
Vegetariano Lasagna
Price: $12
Created by: Chef Paul Teixeira
Description: The perfect Blend of spinach and ricotta layered between a Marinara sauce slow cooked to perfection smothered in mozzarella and parmesan cheese served with a piece of garlic focaccia made with our award winning pizza dough.
Offered: Tuesday – Sunday all the time (closed Monday)
Ragazzi Pizza
2996 E. 22nd Avenue, Vancouver
Tel: 604-433-2235
Web: http://www.ragazzipizza.com/
Twitter: @RagazziPizza
Instagram: @ragazzipizza
3rd Place People’s Choice:
Sprezzatura
Porcini Lasagne
Price: $16
Created by: Chef Jesse Jobin
Description: 5 layers of Porcini, rapini, ricotta, fior di latte and Bechamel, topped with fresh grated parmesan after the oven
Offered: Daily from 11:30am to close.
Sprezzatura
265 Kingsway, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 876-6333
Instagram @sprezzatura_van
Thank you to the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured their lasagna on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their lasagna creations! See the entries here.
By: Richard Wolak