For the "A Feu Vif" version of this newsletter, please click HERE.
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Welcome to the September issue of the “Hot Off the Grill” Culinary Federation Newsletter!
We hope this message finds our members reflecting back on a wonderful and restful summer spent with loved ones, making memories. We wish you the best as we all begin to settle back into the routine that September brings.
The Culinary Federation kicked off September with the exciting announcement of the National Chicken Challenge! September is NATIONAL CHICKEN MONTH, and this year Chicken Farmers of Canada and the Culinary Federation are challenging our chef members of all cultural backgrounds to take "The Chicken Challenge"! This is a social media contest where chefs create and share a chicken dish reminiscent of their own cultural background, talk about who they are, where they're from, how their chicken dish holds a special place in their heart, and how chicken is an important part of their cultural heritage. There are great prizes to be won! To learn more, check out our website here
Our new National Treasurer and CF London Branch President David Franklin has been busy behind the scenes on a new Culinary Federation apparel program! You should have already received an email with all the details on how to order, deadlines and bulk branch shipping information. We look forward to seeing our members represent the Culinary Federation in these newly branded items. To access the shop click here
Sysco’s Virtual Kitchen is back with a new season! We are excited to kick off our Culinary Federation In the Field series, with our first episode back on September 23rd at 11am EST. We will be featuring Clever Crow Farm, members of our North Vancouver Island branch. Be sure to tune in to the livestream on our Facebook Page!
As always, thank you for your continued support and membership, if there is anything you want to discuss regarding the Culinary Federation and your membership experience, please contact me at president@culinaryfederation.ca
Thank you,
Ryan Marquis
National President
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SEE YOU IN SASKATOON - FINALLY!
June 12 to 16, 2022
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After two years of postponements, we're finally heading to Saskatoon for the 2022 National CF Conference!
We can't wait to welcome you to this amazing cultural and culinary destination in the heart of the Canadian Prairies. Click the video link below to learn more.
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ...
Please take a few minutes to participate in our conference planning survey so that we can make sure the conference program exceeds your expectations. Click HERE for survey.
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We invite our membership to take action and acknowledge, honour and celebrate our Indigenous members, friends, colleagues and family.
For more information, click HERE.
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You can now order branded CF merchandise online, for bulk shipment directly to your branch! Click on the button link below which will take you to a catalogue cliof high-quality apparel.
Orders can be placed until OCTOBER 8 ONLY for shipping by mid-November.
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A message from Chef Vanessa Marquis, Chair International Chefs Day Committee ...
Greetings! Many Chefs have emailed me asking how they can still do their part this International Chefs Day. With the current year still on partial lockdowns and many being cautious, I really appreciate the continued efforts to this campaign that many of you have. I encourage Chefs and Young Chefs to create a short 2-5 min video or TikTok, using the theme Healthy Food for the Future, in October for International Chefs Day to celebrate our Noble Profession with children!
These videos will make children smile, for many people are still on lockdown or are limited to outings. It may encourage them to cook with family or friends to try a tasty and healthy recipe. Even better, it will make you smile to do something fun! I challenge you to do a video, come on, let's do it!
The video can be a demonstration of a recipe, it can be a cooking segment with your child or students, it can be you and your child planting a small garden, or it can be you at a farmers market talking about some of the key ingredients in the toolkit. Be creative! You can edit with music or use a free editing program like Adobe Spark, or you may leave it as natural as you would like.
I am accepting videos now, so email them to internationalchefsday@worldchefs.org and we will share with Chefs and children around the globe during October on all of the Worldchefs social media platforms.
If it is safe to do so, we encourage you to have an in-person event. The toolkit has everything there for you, like name badges, games, recipes, videos, PowerPoint, it's all there! Go check it out!
If you have any questions, please reach out to me internationalchefsday@worldchefs.org
Join me this October to Prepare Children for a Healthy Life!
Vanessa Marquis,CEC AAC
Chairman, International Chefs Day Committee
“Worldchefs, Preparing Children for a Healthy Life”
internationalchefsday@worldchefs.org
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Please upload your edited finalized video to the ICD Folder by October 20th for the Culinary Federation to share on our social media – videos cannot exceed 5 minutes in length.
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September is National Chicken Month ...
DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE CHICKEN CHALLENGE!
Valuable Cash Prizes Available!
FIRST PRIZE IS $5,000 CASH!
This is a social media contest where chefs create and share a chicken dish reminiscent of their own cultural background, talk about who they are, where they're from, how their chicken dish holds a special place in their heart, and how chicken is an important part of their cultural heritage.
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HOW TO ENTER:
Create and share your chicken challenge content on your own social media platforms, using the following tags:
@chickendotca (Instagram)
@Canadianchicken (Facebook)
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TO QUALIFY:
Entries MUST INCLUDE ALL 3 of the following hashtags:
#chickendotca
#chickenchallenge
#nationalchickenmonth
MUST BE ACTIVE CULINARY FEDERATION MEMBERS TO WIN!
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Canadian Chicken Delivers – Even during a Pandemic
Chicken is Canada’s number one meat protein, with a per capita consumption of 34.4 kilograms of chicken in 2020, according to Statistics Canada – and that number continues to climb.
Chicken Farmers Deliver on Animal Care and Sustainability
With the rising popularity of chicken in Canada, chicken farmers are frequently the target of campaigns, often aimed at restaurant and retail companies, and designed to pressure them into mandating changes to animal care practices.
In Canada, in contrast to other countries, there is a unique and deeply collaborative approach used to address animal care concerns within the Canadian chicken sector.
CFC’s Raised by a Canadian Farmer Animal Care Program applies to all farmers and enforces strict standards for the care and handling of chickens. This mandatory animal care program is the only one that can be applied at every chicken farm in Canada, and boasts a strong set of program requirements, mandatory regulations, third-party audits, and enforcement measures.
The program is based on a code of practice that was developed through the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), consisting of stakeholders representing government, farmers, animal welfare advocates, food processors, transporters, veterinarians, researchers, restaurants, and retailers.
The sustainability story of Canadian chicken is also remarkable. The Canadian chicken sector has a lower carbon footprint than that of other livestock in North America, and has lowered that carbon footprint by almost 40% in the last 40 years. Water consumption has been reduced by 45% in the same timeframe and 63% of the sector’s total energy use comes from renewable sources.
Canadian Chicken Delivers Confidence for Consumers
As the lowest cost Canadian meat protein, and with its versatility and availability, Canadian chicken offers significant advantages to foodservice, assuring consumers that they can enjoy Canadian chicken multiple times and never have the same dish twice.
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Raised by a Canadian Farmer
Over 90% of Canadians want Canadian chicken. And over 91% believe that it's important that Canadian chicken be labelled as such.
For this reason, Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) created the Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand, and has been encouraging chefs, restaurants, retailers, and processors to stand behind the program and include its logos wherever they can.
With a 42% awareness rating among Canadians, the Raised by a Canadian Farmer logo is a restaurant’s easiest and most credible way of delivering on consumer expectations in their chicken menu choices. The logo provides assurance that Canadian culinary experts are committed to supporting local, Canadian farmers and their commitment to excellence in food safety, animal care, and sustainability.
For more information on the Raised by a Canadian Farmer logo, please email brand@chicken.ca
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Sysco's Virtual Kitchen is back with Season 2!
Don’t miss out on 19 new shows and 200+ episodes of live, weekly content all about Foodservice. Get industry insider tips and master insights to drive your business forward.
No Registration, no fees... just great content the way you want it!
Tune in today to live chat with us, ask questions of the experts or bookmark an episode to watch later.
Broadcasting LIVE on Sysco Canada's Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn channels.
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Please join us in welcoming these new and returning members to the Culinary Federation: |
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CF VICTORIA
Jonathan Cornforth
CF VANCOUVER
Marco Badissera
Steven McKay
Rajeev Arora
Christopher Coulter
Allan Hu
Helen Orimaco-Pumatong
CF OKANAGAN
Kimberly Johnstone
Jessica Madinabeitia
Mariko Nagata
April Roy
Marko Mijoljevic
CF EDMONTON
Ram Swaroop
Daniel Costa
CF SASKATOON
Aziz El Azmaoui
CF WINNIPEG
Jeffery Bilous
Rain Angelo Caldit
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CF WINDSOR
Yanlin Wang
Kyra Meloche
Bledar Garunja
Shannon Roberts
CF LONDON
Sumit Raghav
Paul Wisdom
CF TORONTO
Tamara Coleman
Mawiyah Salisu
Kenrick Ngo
Vincent Delan
John MacKinnon
Jose Marianne Proulx
Ting Cheung Leung
CF OAKVILLE
Hannah Bowering
CF PEI
Adam Todd
CF MEMBERS AT LARGE
Laurie Milton
Michael Belanger
David Lindsay
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INTRODUCING ....
Management and Support for Junior Culinary Team Canada and Culinary Team BC
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Chef JC Felicella - Team Manager
John Carlo is currently the manager for both Culinary Team British Columbia and Junior Culinary Team Canada. JC leads his teams with a strong foundation of knowledge, creativity and intuitive wisdom based on 35+ years of experience in the culinary arts field. JC has a breadth of knowledge developed through working in hotels, post-secondary education, private clubs, and owning his own restaurant. Through these experiences, JC has been recognized as a leader in his field through a multitude of awards such as: BC Chef of the Year (2001 & 2017); Western Canada Chef of the Year (2003 & 2017); and Canadian Chef of the Year (2010 & 2017). JC is currently working in food manufacturing as the culinary director for Global Gourmet Foods, developing food for national and international markets. JC also volunteers his time as Chair of the BC Culinary Arts Foundation, working with Chef Associations across the province. He has also served as a board member for the Canadian Culinary Federation (2000-Present). Throughout his career he has always been passionate about participating in and managing culinary arts competitions. He has been competing internationally since 1988 - in this time he has attended the Culinary Olympics every four years and has been honoured with 32 gold and 12 silver medals. JC has also had the opportunity to manage, coach, and judge multiple Bocuse d’Or competitions in Lyon, France.
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Chef Poyan Danesh - Marketing Manager and Sponsor Liaison
Chef Poyan has been heavily involved in the BC culinary scene since graduating top of his class at Vancouver Community College. Poyan is currently Culinary Director at Ocean Mama Seafood as well as Treasurer and Competition Chair for the Chefs Table Society of BC.
Named 2013 British Columbia Chef of the year and 2009 Canadian and British Columbia's Culinary Apprentice of the Year, Chef Poyan has spent years competing in National and International Competitions. He was one of 4 chefs representing Canada in the World Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2012, placing 4th in the world. He was also honoured with the position of Captain of the Olympic Culinary Team of British Columbia where he led them to a gold in their category, and 4th place finish at the World Culinary Olympics in Germany in October of 2008. Poyan was also a member of Culinary Team Canada in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012 competing in Luxembourg twice, Basel and in Chicago, winning a total of 9 gold and 2 silver medals. He was also Vice President of the BC Chefs association from 2009 – 2013.
Poyan was featured on the Global series “Canada’s Next Great Chef” as BC’s culinary representative and has won many Grand Gold championships at regional competitions around the city. He has also been awarded the Top in Trades award by the Province newspaper and was named one of Vancouver’s rising stars by the Vancouver Sun and VCC alumni of the year in 2007.
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Chef Bruno Marti - Team Advisor
Bruno Marti began his career in Switzerland before moving to Canada where he was employed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. After working as Executive Chef for Cara Operations, he was appointed to the position of Manager, Catering for CP Air, based in Vancouver – a position that he held for 12 years. He then became Chef and Owner of the well-known La Belle Auberge Restaurant in Ladner, B.C. In 2010 La Belle Auberge was rated by ‘Zagat’ as the best fine food in Vancouver. In 2012, after 32 years at La Belle Auberge he decided to take retirement!
His first international competition experience came as Team Captain of the Western Canadian Team in Frankfurt in 1976. He created the first regional (provincial) team that was allowed to compete at the Culinary Olympics in Germany. He was Team Manager for Team Vancouver in 1980 in Germany, Team Member for Team Canada at the competition in Osaka in 1983 and Team Member of the World Champion Team Canada, at the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt in 1984 – a win over 32 other teams from around the world.
He was Team Manager for Team Vancouver at both the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, for Team British Columbia from 1997 – 2003 and Manager of Team Canada at the 1996 Olympics, winning 3 gold and 1 bronze medals, finishing 5th overall.
He is currently serving as coach/team advisor for Junior Culinary Team Canada, Bocuse d’Or Canada and Team British Columbia.
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Chef Scott Jaeger - Lead Food Development Coach
Canadian born Scott Jaeger apprenticed under Bruno Marti at La Belle Auberge Restaurant and was later recruited to work at the Waldorf Hotel in London, a move that led to him pursuing other contracts in France, Switzerland and Australia. He and his wife Stephanie opened the Pear Tree Restaurant in late 1997, voted best new restaurant by the BCRFA and Vancouver magazine, and consistently best fine dining from Burnaby Now. Also rated top over all in Zagat from 2012 to 2014, listed in ‘Where Chefs Eat’ and Canada’s Top 100 restaurants in 2015, they continued to strive for consistent quality serving Canada’s finest ingredients in a contemporary style.
Scott holds the position of Vice Conseilleur Culinaire of the esteemed Chaine des Rotisseurs, in addition to being a member of the Canadian Culinary Federation and the president of The Chef’s Table Society of British Columbia. In 2007 Scott had the honour of representing Canada at the Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France and in 2008 and 2016 as a member of the Canadian National Culinary team, earning a grand total of 6 gold medals in Erfurt, Germany. Then in 2013 Scott travelled to Dubai, again with a Canadian culinary team for the World Hospitality Championships. In addition to being BC Restaurant Association’s Restaurateur of the Year (1998), Scott has had the honour of being BC Chef’s Association Chef of the Year, Vancouver Magazine’s Chef of the Year, and the Georgia Straight’s Chef of the Year in 2007. In 2009 he was inducted into the Restaurant Hall of Fame and in 2014 was given the ‘Mentorship’ award from Vancouver Magazine.
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Chef Damon Campbell - Coach
As a young aspiring chef, Damon Campbell’s career began at La Toque Blanche, where he met his mentor, John Carlo Felicella, who influenced and inspired his style of ingredient-driven cuisine that has become a trademark today.
This culinary philosophy took Chef Campbell to the iconic Michelin-starred French Laundry in Napa Valley under the tutelage of Thomas Keller. It was here that he truly began to define his culinary style and understand the complexities of presenting plates with depth and dimension. After working in one of the most celebrated kitchens in the world, Chef Campbell returned to Vancouver as Diva at the Met’s Chef de Cuisine, where his style of cooking flourished and led to numerous restaurant accolades and awards, including consecutive Gold wins for Vancouver Magazine’s Best Hotel Dining. Chef Campbell’s career has taken him to Asia and back again with the Shangri-La group with posts in Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Toronto. Throughout his time, his culinary talents were recognized with consecutive Best Fine Dining Restaurant accolades as well as a special commendation for Outstanding Chef of the Year. His experiences include serving as Browns Restaurant Group’s Culinary Director where he oversaw the culinary direction and launched two new restaurant concepts for this leading multi-branded company.
Chef Campbell’s competitive drive encompassed taking on the responsibilities of Team Captain for Culinary Team Canada in the Culinary Olympics, resulting in four gold medal wins in Switzerland and Luxembourg.
As the Executive Chef of Fairmont Pacific Rim, Damon Campbell oversees the culinary programs for the iconic lifestyle hotel. Today, Chef Campbell spearheads numerous culinary initiatives with a passionate team of chefs who share his vision of sourcing local ingredients from the Pacific Northwest.
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Chef Cameron Huley - Coach
Cameron began his culinary adventure at the tender age of sixteen working at the Elmhurst Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg. Wishing for a formal education, he enrolled at Red River College followed by his initial post college position at Larter’s Golf and Country Club under the tutelage of Chef Tom Pitt.
At age 23 Cameron relocated in Niagara Falls to open the Hilton Fallsview Hotel while obtaining his red seal from Maid of the Mist Hospitality College. In 2002 Cameron returned to Winnipeg and the St. Charles Golf and Country Club to work under the watchful eye of renowned chef Takashi Murakami where he significantly enhanced his culinary skills.
In June of 2009 he moved to the Four Points by Sheraton, Winnipeg South as Executive Sous Chef gaining valuable experience opening a new kitchen from its very beginning stages. Soon thereafter, Cameron followed his childhood dream by accepting a four month contract for the position of Executive Chef on the Celebrity Cruise Lines, Celebrity Silhouette and cruising the world. Going full circle, Chef Cameron returned to Winnipeg, married and accepted his current Executive Chef at the Larter’s Golf and Country Club.
Cameron can boast an impressive list of Culinary competitive accomplishments including membership on a successful Team Manitoba at the 2004 Culinary Olympics, and a place on National Team Canada for Luxembourg, Chicago and the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt in 2008. He has also garnered numerous awards as a skillful ice carver in local, national and international events.
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Chef Suzannah Yeung - Pastry Coach
Suzannah's passion for pastry has led her to become a self-taught pastry chef specializing in custom cake design. She is dedicated to the development and creation of cakes and pastries that are aesthetic works of art, bold in taste and balanced in texture and flavour. Having worked in various high end hotels in Vancouver, she has also participated in several individual pastry competitions earning herself gold medals as well as being involved with Team BC and Team Canada for many years. She is committed to continued learning and teaching in her field and finds fulfillment in offering her creative services to her clients through her business: noisette.patisserie on Instagram.
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Chef Natasha Norton - Demi Manager
Originally from Johannesburg in sunny South Africa, Natasha started her culinary journey at one of the best schools in the country, HTA School of Culinary Arts, Johannesburg, where she obtained her Diploma in Professional Cookery, Culinary and Pastry Arts. She then worked her way up the ranks in various hotels throughout South Africa such as the Arabella Hotel & Spa and Tintswalo Atlantic Lodge in Cape Town working in both culinary and pastry kitchens. The teaching bug bit Natasha when she began working for her previous instructor at the Chefs Training and Innovation Academy as a junior instructor. She then returned to the same place where it all began, HTA School of Culinary Arts, but this time as a full time instructor in both Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts.
In 2011, she was selected to be a member of the South African Junior Culinary Team. Representing her country on the international stage, she competed in the IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in 2012 and was awarded double bronze medals. She was then promoted to the National Culinary Team South Africa and competed in the Salon Culinaire Mondial in Basel, Switzerland in 2013 and received a bronze medal. Having loved her time teaching, Natasha did miss the kitchen environment and returned back to the industry and joined the prestigious Four Seasons family when the first Four Seasons opened in South Africa, Four Seasons, The Westcliff, Johannesburg, first as Pastry Chef de Partie and then later Pastry Sous Chef. After 2 years with Four Seasons, she was offered the opportunity to come to Canada. She crossed the Atlantic and joined the team at the beautiful world renowned Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Whistler. The call of teaching was too tempting for Natasha and she then returned to teaching and joined Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts as one of the Baking & Pastry Arts instructors. Natasha was also fortunate enough to get the opportunity to enter back into the competition arena and became a member of Culinary Team British Columbia. They competed in the IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany in 2020, receiving a silver medal.
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Chef Simon Smotkowicz, CCC - Team Advisor
Simon immigrated to Canada in 1975 lending his talents to the Edmonton Plaza (Westin), the Four Seasons Edmonton as well as Delta Hotels in Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Montreal. In 1988 he returned to Edmonton as the Executive Chef at the Shaw Conference Centre until his retirement in 2017. Holding to his philosophy that "eating is a discovery" to be explored through creative experimentation with textures and flavours, Simon has established a professional reputation of excellence for both his culinary and leadership skills.
International competition has been a long-standing interest and commitment for Simon, both with Culinary Team Alberta and Culinary Team Canada. His first competition was in 1983, and since then his artistry, dedication and teamwork have contributed significantly to the successes achieved by our nation’s culinary teams. Combined with his tenacity, drive and uncompromising pursuit of excellence, Simon continues to foster growth and development of Canada and Alberta’s culinary expertise by upholding a leadership and performance standard that distinguishes these teams as the world’s best.
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Dr. Jane Ruddick - Team Advisor
Jane Ruddick PhD is a food professional with a diverse and in-depth knowledge of food preparation, production and technology. She is president of J.R. Food Consultants, specialising in advising clients on food safety certification.
Dr. Ruddick is a member of many professional organisations including the Institute of Food Technologists, the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology, the Canadian Culinary Federation, Les Dames d’Escoffier and the American Academy of Chefs. She is also currently the B.C. provincial bailli of La Chaine des Rotisseurs.
Throughout her career she has been very active with the National Culinary Team, Bocuse d’Or Canada and has managed the successful Culinary Team BC and Culinary Team Dubai.
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Chef Helen Orimaco-Pumatong - Team Chef and Food Procurement
Chef Helen holds a Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree. She received her Red Seal Certification through the Fairmont Hotels and was part of the opening team for Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver. She is currently the Chef instructor at Vancouver Community College for the Restaurant Operations course in the Hospitality Management program.
With a Filipino background, Chef Helen Orimaco-Pumatong is able to incorporate authentic Asian flavours with her classic culinary training.
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Chef Marco Baldissera - Equipment Manager
Marco Baldissera is a BC born chef. Marco completed the Culinary Arts program at VCC, where he met Chef JC Felicella as his Culinary instructor. Shortly after graduating he started his Apprenticeship at La Toque Blanche, in West Vancouver, under Chef Felicella and completed it with Culinary Godfather, Chef Bruno Marti at La Belle Auberge in Ladner, BC. Marco has worked in many restaurants and hotels in Vancouver as well as remote Fly in resorts and Cruise ships.
Marco has been and continues to be a support member of the many levels of competition, from regional Culinary Team BC, Jr Culinary Team Canada, and The Bocuse D’or (Chef Scott Jaeger and Chef Ryan Stone). Fact: Marco is also a Red Seal Carpenter.
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Chef Daniel Davyduke - Logistics Manager
Daniel started his culinary journey by attending Vancouver Community College for Culinary Arts where he achieved his Red Seal classification. With over 15 years in the industry there are many accomplishments in his culinary history but the highlights that standout were his time as the Culinary Program Manager for an international hospitality school in Ha Noi, Vietnam and also in Vietnam being the Senior Sous Chef at Furama Resorts in Da Nang. He moved back to Canada to be the Chef de Cuisine of the Fairmont Winnipeg, and then his current role is as Executive Resort Chef at Panorama Mountain Resort in the Kootney’s
When Daniel is not at work, he is an avid world traveller (when able too!), spending time at the farm and hanging out around the fire.
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Chef Shawn Lang - Team Advisor
Shawn Lang is Vancouver born and raised and has been cooking since 1987 attending the BCIT culinary program.
His first culinary competition was in 1989, winning him a silver medal and he has been hooked ever since! He entered various local and international culinary shows winning both gold and silver medals throughout. He also won the coveted BC Apprentice of the Year award in 1992. He has also attended the Culinary Olympics as both a competitor and support member in 1992, 2012, 2016, and 2020. Additionally, he has attended culinary competitions in Singapore, Basil, Luxemburg and WACS 2012 in Daejeon, Korea.
Shawn apprenticed at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, taking two apprenticeships simultaneously: Government Red Seal and the Westin Culinary Apprenticeship program and continued in hotels and fine dining. He was also a Culinary instructor for 8 years at Vancouver Community College.
“I’m fortunate to have worked with many high level colleagues since the beginning of my culinary career and am still surrounded by many talented peers including, now Manager of the Junior National Team and Team BC, Chef JC for over 26 years”, says Chef Shawn.
Shawn has been Chef JC’s Logistics and Technical Adviser since 2010 for Junior Culinary Team Canada, Culinary Team Canada, Culinary Team BC and specializes in equipment efficiencies and custom design equipment
Shawn strongly believes in ‘paying it forward,’ this is why he is so passionate about supporting young chefs to succeed in culinary competitions. Shawn is currently working as a Development Chef alongside Chef JC Felicella at Global Gourmet Foods Inc which is part of the Premium Brands portfolio.
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Chef James Hutton - Team Advisor
After 43 years in the kitchen, 32 years of which were spent teaching young cooks, Chef James Hutton retired from Vancouver Community College, one of Canada’s preeminent culinary schools. His reputation as a culinary educator is renowned across the nation and he takes great pride in the fact that many of Canada’s leading chefs began their careers in his classroom. Although he hesitates to take credit for their success, he likes to think he gave them all a gentle push in the right direction.
James keeps young and maintains his interests in the culinary world by way of his association with Culinary Team B.C. James’ experiences in the realm of culinary competition are extensive. He has been a competitor, a manager, an organizer, a judge and especially a coach / mentor of many successful young competitors, not the least of which was the multi gold and silver medal winning 2012 Canadian Junior Culinary Team based at Vancouver Community College. Prior to joining up with Team B.C., he was a support member of the 2016 Canadian National Team.
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Nisse Bourne - Team Culture and Wellness
Nisse is based out of Ottawa and currently works as a counsellor for Canadian Armed Forces Members affected by sexual misconduct. Before this, she worked as the Survivors of Domestic Violence Case Manager where she supported survivors and their families as they exited shelter. Before working in the social services field, Nisse worked front of house in the food service industry for over 7 years.
Food has always been a passion of hers, a passion that followed her around the globe. A few months after Nisse graduated from university, she flew off to Beijing to pursue a job as an English teacher. There, she was also able to explore all of the unique flavours Northern China had to offer. She spent years living, working, and eating throughout South-East Asia, Austral-Asia, India, and Europe.
After this, she combined her passion of teaching English and food as the ESL baking instructor at VCC. Later she was offered an incredible opportunity to provide ESL support for the new international culinary arts program at VCC where she met Chef JC and was introduced to the world of Culinary Arts competitions. In 2014, she had the opportunity to support Culinary Team Canada as their assistant manager as they competed at the Expogast in Luxembourg. She also travelled to Lyon, France to cheer on Canada in the Bocuse d’Or. She is excited to support both Junior Culinary Team Canada and Culinary Team BC as they compete for gold at the Expogast in 2022 and the Culinary Olympics in 2024!
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Chef Lesley Stav - National Office Liaison
After working in restaurant kitchens in Vancouver for over 20 years, Chef Stav returned to Vancouver Island 15 years ago. She shifted from hands on cooking to that of mentor, guide and a passionate advocate for the culinary industry.
Initially as a Sessional Culinary Arts Instructor & later in her role as President of the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association (NVICA), Stav collaborated with various Vancouver Island schools, leading an array of culinary-themed presentations to students and encouraging them to follow their passion for the culinary industry. Even in her retirement she continues to spearheadd initiatives to connect the Comox Valley community to local chefs, farmers, fishers and producers, ranging from the popular NVICA FoodFests enjoyed by patrons of the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market to a founding partner in FLAVOUR, The North Islands Gourmet Picnic.
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Christine Cho - Social Media Manager
Christine is the Social Media Manager for both Culinary Team BC and Junior National Culinary Team Canada. Although she isn't a trained chef, Christine has a passion and keen interest in the culinary arts and experiencing new and exciting culinary related adventures. Christine experienced her first culinary competition when she travelled with Culinary Team BC to the 2020 IKA/Culinary Olympics held in Stuttgart, Germany.
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