Words

50 Culinary Arts students gather to take a photo with Chris John, lead judge at the Canadian Culinary Championships 2024, and Scott Foeller, Culinary Arts Instructor, at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, ON.

The Canadian Culinary Championship (CCC) is an annual national event in Ottawa. The winning chefs from ten different regional qualifiers, Canada’s Great Kitchen Party, are gathered to compete in three challenging and entertaining competitions: Mystery Wine, Black Box, and the Finale. To be crowned the top chef in Canada at the Canadian Culinary Championship is a career changer. The competition has yielded three previous winners from Ottawa.

The competition features 50 Culinary Arts students from Algonquin College, three learners assisting each chef, in addition to their sous chefs. For many, involvement at this level of competition is a once-in-their-career opportunity. Scott Foeller, Culinary Arts Instructor, explained the process of selecting volunteers: “My experience and excitement from last year’s event, combined with the positive buzz from last year’s students, yielded 94 interested volunteers within the first week of the event being posted.” Having double the interest as there are spaces available proves the value of the event and participation from the learners’ viewpoint. Foeller shared that many of those selected were in his classes over the past four semesters, or had been recommended by fellow hospitality faculty, highlighting attributes such as attitude, teamwork, reliability, punctuality, and level of skill.

Cory Haskins, Chair, Culinary Arts, and Ottawa member of the CCC judges’ panel, further articulated the importance of this partnership. “I am so pleased to continue our association with the Canadian Culinary Championship,” he said. “The experience that our students gain from working alongside the best chefs in Canada is incomparable. The pace is frenetic and crazy, but great fun and an exceptional learning experience.”

Photos of the experience can be found on AC’s Facebook Page.

An additional real-world learning opportunity from the event was presented to AC’s broadcasting students, coordinated by Professor Michael Bennett. Three learners in the program arrived at the Shaw Centre ready to film and photograph the culinary students, putting together a short video played at the competition, along with broadcasting the festivities live on Feb. 2 and 3.

“Events like this are a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their skills and build their portfolios and resumes, while also exposing them to external clients’ expectations. We had a strong production team this year led by Maddison Devarennes and Saudicka Diarm. They organized and led their teams to great success, and I have heard nothing but glowing reviews from the clients about our students and the video content we have produced for them this year, ” said Bennett.

The key takeaway from learners’ participation in the event is the importance of community and organizational partnerships with academic programs where it aligns. These opportunities leverage skill-building, real-world experience, and networking. In return, the client, the Canadian Culinary Championships, is provided with service to fill a gap in their event. Learners are given an opportunity to take risks and show off their skills, which helps build their confidence as they navigate their careers.

To learn more about the competition and see this year’s winners, visit the Canadian Culinary Championships website.