Chefs battle for top tasting poutine at annual festival

Curds flew as hungry New Brunswickers ate their way to declaring the best poutine in town this weekend.

The rest of theeventwas just gravy.

The sold out Fredericton Poutine Festival featured five vendors battle for taste buds and packed bellies full of fries at the fourth annual event.

Past winner MichelleHanrahanofMacsFish and Chipssaid her team havebeenpreparing to take back the title like their fries depended on it.

"When we won before all we had before was thecanteenat the ice rink and we won" saidHanrahan.

"Now we mean business."

To try and beat the competition Hanrahanbrought50 litres of gravy, 40-lbs of homemade brisket, and 50-lbs of ground beef to the event to build their bacon-cheeseburger poutine entry.

"We've got ourown special seasoning," saidHanrahan. "And somesmokedcheddarcheese that we made in our smoker at home on our patio. Our neighbours love us."

"We entered a donair poutine," said Matt MacKenzie, executive chef of the host venue at the Crowne Plaza Lord Beaverbrook hotel.

"The donair meat is made with local valley beef, made here at the Crowne Plaza, we made the donair sauce, charred tomatoes with house-made triple-blanched fries and squeaky cheese."

Anessa Gordon, who is eating poutine for two, says the piles of poutine is just what she needed.

"I normally go to beer fest," said Gordon. "But since I'mpregnantthis year, I decided to try out poutine-fest instead. And by far my favourite is theHalifaxdonair poutine."

The event also brought incraft beers and cider vendors to helpwash down those piles of poutine.

MacKenziesays the public reaction to the festival is something special.

"I'm from Nova Scotia, but I've never seen a town love poutine so much.