Education Co-Chair – TJ Conwi

Food service specialist & community leader
TJ has a passion for both West Coast and Asian cuisine. His culinary curiosity began with his roots in the Philippines and has taken him as far away as kitchens in Taiwan and Chile. Organic, local and sustainable ingredients are the highlight of his dishes.

After training under French chefs at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, TJ honed his skills at The Arbutus Club and in the hotel industry, most recently as executive chef at Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites by Marriott. He was an integral member of the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel’s opening team before the 2010 Winter Olympics. TJ has executed hotel functions for hundreds of people, elaborate galas for the Japanese, Filipino and French Consulate, and large-scale events like the BC Food & Beverage Awards and Chefs in the Hood.

He now owns Ono Vancouver, where he uses his expertise, creativity and connections to make an impact in the food industry. His business services—event catering, private dining and ReRoot home meal replacement—all fuel his community-minded goals:

Fight food insecurity
End food waste
Ensure all children have access to healthy lunch at school

Read more about Ono Vancouver’s community impact.

Marketing Co-Chair – Robert Belcham

Robert Belcham was recognized as one of Vancouver’s leading chefs when he was awarded Chef of the Year at the 2009 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Credited by judges as producing “some of the best food this city has seen,” he wins high praise from his peers, the industry and his guests. As a young chef, he received the opportunity of a lifetime when Chef Thomas Keller offered him a Chef de Partie position at the world renowned French Laundry. In 2002, Robert came back to BC to C restaurant, where he rose to the challenge of running one of the country’s finest seafood restaurants. Later, Chef Belcham worked as Chef Consultant at Nu. Robert has since opened a string of his own highly regarded restaurants.  His first, the award winning Fuel Restaurant in 2007—which rebranded as Refuel Restaurant & Bar in December 2009—and opened his second venture, Campagnolo Restaurant in 2008, followed by Campagnolo ROMA in 2011. Robert continues to source quality regional products and animals from organic and free-run farms. (Robert is Past President of CTS)

Membership Co-Chair- Cheryl Chang

Cheryl is a chef with 25 years of experience who has spent the last decade championing inclusive dining, ensuring that everyone has a place at the table.
She founded Nourish to ensure that all dietary needs are met with creativity and flavor, offering equal options for all. More than just a catering team and café, Nourish is a full-service kitchen dedicated to reconnecting people with food traditions through mindful services and out of the box approach to education & awareness. She works with kids and adults to connect to their food culture and families.
You can often find Cheryl fighting food waste, speaking for those with smaller voices and collaborating with other like minded chefs.

Membership Co-Chair, Peter Warszycki

Chef Peter Warszycki has dedicated his life towards the study, creation, and consumption of food. This pursuit led him westward from Manitoba, through Alberta, until he hit gold in BC’s hospitality and tourism industries. As an SFU undergrad working part-time as a line cook, he explored and navigated Vancouver’s food culture through an academic lens.

Working tirelessly alongside chefs and his peers to hone his skillset, in 2016 he accepted the an Executive Chef position in Dalian, China where he worked and resided for several years. During a sabbatical from the hospitality industry, he was employed as an ESL instructor for numerous international firms and their team members.

Since returning to Canada in 2021, Peter has strived to support individuals in BC’s tourism, food and beverage, and hospitality industries. If you find him outside of the kitchen (or the classroom), he’s volunteering, collecting ingredients or coordinating the next exciting food event.

Scholarship-Mentorship Co-Chair – Joel Stirke

Chef Joel is currently the Culinary Director of Chilliwack Bowls of Hope Society, a non-profit organization aimed at fighting food insecurity for children throughout the community and beyond. Over his 25 years in hospitality he has always championed local, sustainable products, being true to oneself, and fighting for what you believe in. Joel is committed to building reliable supply chains in the lower mainland and throughout British Columbia to help fix the current food systems in place, and regenerate local economies and food security for generations to come.

Chef Joel grew up in Southern Ontario cooking in pubs and restaurants while studying history at the University of Guelph before travelling to Whistler, BC after graduation, and realizing that cooking was his true passion he decided to become a Chef. He graduated from the Stratford Chefs School in 2006, and has worked in private clubs, hotels, and as a caterer ever since. He believes in finding the very best ingredients available in season and creating dishes that let those ingredients shine. He thrives at being resourceful and uses his skills to feed thousands of kids every week.

He and his wonderful family moved to Chilliwack in 2017 where they love being connected to the agriculture of the Fraser Valley, the splendor of the surrounding mountains, and close enough to the coast to enjoy everything the Pacific Ocean has to offer.