On the surface, this year's Iron Ore Chef didn't look like an upset. Karahi King chef Jagdish Gill came out on top after beating second place chef Dawna Laramee by one point.
But Laramee's place on the stage was a surprise - most of all to her.
Considered an amateur, she fought her way into the Northern Taste Market professional competition. On Saturday when Laramee won her way into the finals, she cried.
"It was very overwhelming," said Laramee from the stage at Kin 1, where she'd been cooking all weekend during the British Columbia Northern Exhibition.
"I was a little bit emotional before I came (Sunday) because I'm overwhelmed that I actually got this far. I never thought I would make it to the finals of the pros and I'm just an amateur," said Laramee, who got constant compliments on her plating.
The 29-year-old faced off against chefs from White Goose Bistro BX Pub, Ramada Hotel, Karahi King, The Salted Cracker and Shiraz Caf and Restaurant.
But Laramee is hardly a culinary neophyte.
She graduated from the College of New Caledonia's culinary program in 2005. There, she participated similar deadline driving challenges.
She thrives in that environment, she said.
"I'm just in the zone. I don't hear anybody else around me. I don't see what the other team is creating. I just create what is in my head. I think about it the day before I get my teammates together and we talk about it," said Laramee, who competed with her mother and sister.
On Sunday the secret ingredient was port wine and the difference was overdone clams. The one point loss was difficult for someone who prides herself on perfection.
"It was hard because the clams were overdone to begin with before I even opened the package because they were frozen," she said.
But on Sunday she also presented her favourite dish of the competition - a snow globe dessert that featured fruit compote on bottom, complete with with raspberries, sour cherries and blueberries, vanilla cake, cotton candy ice cream, with chopped pecans.
Laramee tried to give herself an edge by doing a little extra every time.
"I always presented four dishes instead of three. I always had a secret dish. I did an appetizer, a palate cleanser, an entree and a dessert," she said. "It created a more dynamic look on what i was presenting."
After the finals, Laramee said she's grateful for the experience.
"I'm glad I went through this experience and I put myself through it and I overcame some fears of doing public speaking."
During the finals, a lot of that speaking was before her fans. Laramee said she recognized most of the people seated on her side of the room.
She's not sure what next for her culinary future.
Although she's been cooking since she was 16, and has worked at 11 different restaurants in Prince George, she hasn't quite found the right fit.
"I'm just not happy with any of them because they're all franchises and they live out of microwaves and pre-bagged stuff and that's just not my thing. I want something fresh," said Laramee, who now works at BK Two-Way Radio.
Friends have urged her to open up her own, but she's worried the city wouldn't support it.
"There's no restaurants that are going to be small that are going to last in Prince George, so that's my only downfall, but I love cooking," she said. "I just love it."
