December 9, 2022 (Vancouver) Chefs' Table Society was honoured to be awarded Community Workforce Response Grant funding through WorkBC for a first intake of fourteen students for a fundamentals certificate course in Baking and Pastry and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) that started in September 2022. The three month intensive course was designed to encourage amateur bakers to convert their passion or hobby into a career in the field. Under the guidance of Chef Luciane D'Aviz at PICA, classical and modern styles were explored with a combination of hands-on techniques, in person demonstrations and online learning. Twelve students completed the course and are now working on their resumés in preparation for working in the sector.
Chefs' Table Society is pleased to be playing an integral role in helping the students frame their workplace readiness experience. We hosted lunch and learns with industry leaders to connect with real people working in our industry. Thanks to Chef Lesley Stav of North Vancouver Island Chefs Association, Nihal Elwan, founder of Tayybeh Foods, Dominic Fielden, co-founder of Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company and our own Chef Robert Belcham for heading into the classroom to connect with the students. More hands on experience was shared when Robert Belcham and Samantha Scholefield led mock interviews to showcase how to and not to present yourself for any interview. To help build confidence, we've developed modern and approachable resumé templates for the students to use that will help them stand out and secure jobs that they will love.
We are currently seeking employers interested in interviewing recent program graduates for positions in their companies. One graduate, a recent immigrant from Ukraine, really showcased how important courses like these are for people facing unexpected changes in their lives. She converted her passion for making cakes in Ukraine to a career path here in Canada and is now looking for work as a cake maker or confectioner. If you have a position available, please let us know. We would love for you to meet her and the other graduates.
As part of this program, Chefs' Table Society have learned how valuable upskilling and re-skilling are, especially for new immigrants and refugees coming to Canada. We are seeking approval for another grant and if selected, we look forward to working on a new intake of students for early spring 2023.
