February 11, 2009 - 7:30am
You can almost taste the buzz of excitement in Vancouver Island University’s Culinary Arts department.
That’s because VIU students and alumni have recently garnered provincial, national and international acclaim for their cooking skills.
The biggest news is alumnus David Wong’s recent success at the prestigious Bocuse D’Or competition in Lyon, France. Representing Canada, Wong placed ninth in the world.
VIU culinary student Carlos Rodriguez also achieved international recognition by placing fourth in a global cooking competition in Dubai, and national honors at a competition in Toronto.
Current VIU students recently won provincial acclaim in the 13th Annual BC Chef’s Hot Food Competition for junior chefs under the leadership of Shore and other instructors in the Culinary Arts department.
Carolyn McCauley won gold for her Macedonian feta and tofu stuffed tortellini with beet risotto. Brodie Denslow and Jeremy Webber, both only six months into the program, won silver medals for their respective dishes, Mediterranean Vegetable Tower with paprika basil and goat cheese and baked tofu cheesecake with organic lentil ragout.
Michelle Botelho, a Culinary Arts student at VIU’s Powell River campus, also won a silver medal for her dish, a spinach and herb ravioli serviced with mushroom and lima bean stuffed with portabella.
VIU Alumnus Brandon Pridie won grand gold in the apprenticeship category at the same competition. He currently works at Fresco’s restaurant in Kelowna.
“We’re definitely on a roll,” said Chef Debbie Shore, program chair of the Vancouver Island Culinary Institution at VIU. “It’s gratifying to see our alumni and current students perform so well in these provincial, national and international cooking competitions.”
McCauley was thrilled to win a gold medal at her first Culinary Arts competition. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “The Chefs in this program are great. They teach you so much.” McCauley graduated from the program two weeks ago, and currently works as a Food Service worker at VIU. She’s saving money to travel and cook her way around the world. “It’s a great way to gain experience,” she said.
Current students and recent grads say they are greatly inspired by alumni like David Wong. In the two-day, bi-annual Bocuse D’or competition in France, Wong was pitted against world-class chefs from 24 countries. He spent two years preparing for the competition.
“David was one of my students about 12 years ago,” said Shore. “He’s a role model for our current students, showing what’s possible with the right mix of dedication and talent. He exemplifies how far students can go in their careers.”
After graduating from VIU’s Culinary Arts program (formerly Malaspina University-College), Wong perfected his cooking skills working for top hotels and restaurants in BC. He currently teaches full-time at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Vancouver.
Several other VIU Culinary Arts alumni returned to the Nanaimo campus last fall to support Wong in a fundraiser to help cover his travel costs to France, including Iain Rennie, Executive Chef, Westin Bear Mountain; Rich Atkins, Chef the Longwood Brew Pub; Taj Parmar who apprenticed at Fairmont Banff and is now Chef at the Acme Restaurant in Nanaimo, and Josh Massey chef at Wesley Street Café.
“It was one of the most exciting events we’ve hosted to date,” said Shore. “Our alumni are a tight-knit group. It’s great to see them so willing to support our school and fellow Alumni. Their enthusiasm speaks volumes about how they feel about the training they received at VIU.”
VIU offers a one-year Culinary Arts certificate program, two-year diploma program and an apprenticeship program. For more information, visit www.pas.bc.ca or call Advising at 250-740-6410.
Tags: In the Community
