Education/training
Winning recipeFrom working as servers in a campus dining room to marking exams and instructing fellow students, aspiring chefs at Loyalist College in Belleville are savouring a new program designed to complement apprenticeship training. LINDA WHITE |
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 [ 2006-11-08 ] |
"We looked at what was currently available in Ontario and decided to develop something that's a bit unique," says John Schneeburger, professor and program co-ordinator of the Culinary Management and Chef Training programs. "We have a lot of 'ins and outs.'"
High school graduates who have completed the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Cook Level One, for instance, can earn full credit for the first semester. Anyone with the Provincial Red Seal for Cooks may be granted full credit for the first year.
At the same time, the program spices up traditional instruction. "Students do a reading quiz before class so I'm not just reading a chapter to them. They can bring their questions to class," says Schneeburger, who is also a Swiss-trained chef and pastry chef.
"Our second-year students helped mark first-year exams. They didn't even need the answer sheet. The answers were in them. They also help teach their first-year counterparts. Part of being in a kitchen is dealing with people," Schneeburger explains.
Students also work in the fully licensed dining room. "They understand every role in a restaurant, which changes things completely. You learn that guests deserve your best at every minute of the day."
Together with practical training, these experiences are designed to create well-rounded graduates. "These students have to go into the industry and be nothing short of amazing. That's a huge focus for us," Schneeburger says.
"We've had some really cool success with this way of approaching things. A chef in the area hired four of our students to open his brand new restaurant. This program is about making our students competent and confident ... When you love what you do, you just do it better."
Chef training graduate Dorothy Fletcher had long enjoyed cooking as a stress reliever and is now preparing to expand her catering business and land a part-time job in the industry. She had worked at Loyalist College for 12 years in various positions, including a stint as a media studies instructor.
She had contemplated taking a year off to complete her Master's, but never quite found the motivation. After being invited to monitor a chef training class, Fletcher found her path, trading in her office for a locker. "I was a good amateur cook, but had reached the limits of where I could take that.
"In this program, you are learning at a very high level. Teachers are very willing to give you what you need," says the Culinary Award of Excellence recipient. "The program has changed my life ... and the direction my life will take from here on in. It steered me in the direction of following my heart, my passion and what I'm good at."
Loyalist College is located in the heart of Prince Edward County, home to a growing number of wineries and restaurants. It accepted 50 students into its first-year program. "We have nowhere to go but up in terms of growth. Keeping classes small matches the culture of the college," says Jim Whiteway, operations manager for hospitality courses.
He's pleased the college is able to respond to the growing interest in culinary arts, a trend he attributes in large part to the Food Network. "We're becoming more cultured in terms of food," Whiteway says. "Canadians have a real advantage with the range of ethnicities here. Even small cities have every type of restaurant. We have that diversity and should celebrate it. I think we're a force to be reckoned with in the culinary field."
QUICK FACTS
Loyalist College's Culinary Management program is based on the basic and advanced levels of the cook's apprenticeship program. Upon graduation, students will have completed all in-class apprenticeship requirements.
Students who successfully complete the one-year certificate in chef training may choose to continue their studies by completing the second year of the culinary management program.
-- Visit www.loyalistc.on.ca to learn more.
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