October 16, 2009 - 6:29am
Vancouver Island University is the first teaching institution in Canada to have an operating wood fired brick oven.
The oven is fired daily and students enrolled in the Culinary Arts and Professional Baking programs use it to bake breads, bagels and pizza. They are trained in building fires, preparing the oven for baking and assessing oven temperatures to decide which products to bake.
“Creating a wood fired brick oven at the Nanaimo campus has been a labor of love for three years,” said Martin Barnett, Chair of VIU’s Professional Baking program. “We’re very excited, and will be holding a a grand opening celebration October 23 from 4 to 8 pm at the Lower Cafeteria (Nanaimo campus) to honor the institutions and individuals who came together to make the project a success.”
The wood fired oven is a joint project of the VIU Culinary Institute of Vancouver Island’s (CIVI) Baking and Pastry Arts program, the Baking Association of Canada (BAC) BC Chapter, and the BAC Vancouver Island Committee.
After the presentations, food will be prepared in the wood fired oven and served by Culinary Arts diploma program students to project participants, students and faculty.
The seed was sown in 2005 to build a wood fired oven at VIU when baking instructors and Dean of Trades and Applied Technology, Fred MacDonald, attended an island event featuring Alan Scott, the person credited with bringing wood fired ovens back into fashion. “I clearly remember Fred saying ‘let’s build one,” said Barnett.
Fundraising and planning for the wood fired brick oven began immediately, with contributions from the Baking Association of Canada, Feast of Fields, Horizon Milling and faculty of the CIVI. The oven was test fired and became fully operational in spring 2009.
VIU’s Facilities Services staff, along with Welding, Carpentry and Art and Design students all participated in the construction. Even VIU’s managed woodlot provides wood for the oven.
Philip Van Horne from Salt Spring Island designed the oven; Richard Dakin was the mason. David Poiron (VIU instructor) was the architect of record, and other local contractors were also involved.
“The CIVI makes a point of being innovative and responding to current trends in industry,” explained Barnett. “With the resurgence of artisan and traditional baking, the wood fired oven seemed like the perfect addition to the program. We’re thrilled to be the first culinary teaching institute in Canada to have a wood fired oven. The modified design of the oven is also unique.”
“All CIVI students have an opportunity to use the oven,” Barnett said. “Students in the Professional Baking and Pastry programs use it daily and other culinary students use it monthly. The public has an opportunity to use the oven through VIU Continuing Education programs. We’ve already attracted registrants for baking workshops from around BC, throughout Canada and the USA.”
“Embracing traditional baking skills gives our students another facet of training,” added MacDonald. “In addition to standard bakery equipment, they are now able to work in an artisan bakery using traditional equipment like wood fired ovens.”
There are ten commercial wood fired ovens currently operating in Vancouver Island and Gulf Island bakeries. In addition, select restaurants are now incorporating wood fired ovens.
A weekend workshop on Artisan Baking and wood fired ovens will follow the grand opening celebration. It has attracted delegates from all over North America. Richard Miscovich from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island is the main workshop presenter together with Bake Team Canada’s Tracy Muzzolini from Saskatoon. Representatives of the culinary departments from five different educational institutions in Canada and the US will take part. A few slots are still available for the workshops. Interested professionals may contact martin.barnett@viu.ca or rita.gower@viu.ca for more information.
Tags: In the Community
