Words

Kitchen skills: Syrian refugee preps a new dream in Algonquin’s culinary labs

Samir Masoud and his family arrived in Canada from war-ravaged Syria in the summer of 2016, knowing little of their new country, but happy to be safe.

A year later both Masoud and his wife were Algonquin graduates much closer to their dream of starting their own business in Ottawa.

The couple were among the first graduates of a unique college program, Culinary and Job Skills for Newcomers to Canada. The program, which combines food preparation courses with job readiness training, was designed specifically in response to the influx of Syrian refugees. Continue reading