Durham College (DC) culinary student, Kristin Atwood will fly to Calabria, Italy for a week this June to participate in the Italian Culinary Exploration program at the Italian Culinary Institute.  This incredible experience is courtesy of the new Durham College (DC) Gold Medal Award, which Atwood was recently awarded in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the Culinary Management program at the Centre for Food (CFF).

The Gold Medal Award, an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to study at the institute, is offered by the college’s leadership team. All students studying in the Culinary Management program are eligible to apply with the award  presented to a student who demonstrates excellence in attendance, volunteerism, professionalism, attitude and academic standing throughout their time at DC.

“Kristin is an exemplary student with a positive attitude and strong work ethic,” said David Hawey, professor of the culinary programs at the CFF. “Not only has she gone above and beyond in her own achievements, she has provided support through volunteerism and mentoring for her fellow classmates as well. She is an absolute joy, and we couldn’t be more pleased to present her with this award.”

Hawey, who will accompany Atwood to Italy, added that the Italian Culinary Institute was chosen as the preferred school because its philosophies align with and complement DC’s field-to-fork vision.

Among her many accomplishments, Atwood has interned at Momofuku Daisho in Toronto and  shown an interest in product development, creating recipes for nut-free macarons and low carbohydrate protein bars at her current place of employment, Frantastic Events in Whitby, Ont. She has also represented DC at numerous events both on and-off of campus including the first-ever Harvest Dinner held at the CFF last fall and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. In addition, she helped with preparation and service and spoke on behalf of the college at the 2016 Summit on Talent and Skills in the New Economy, which was held at the college’s Oshawa campus in January and attended by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.

“I’ve been working in restaurants and bakeries since I was 16, and my time at Durham College was so valuable in helping develop my skills and learn more about the industry,” said Atwood. “I feel very lucky to be able to do what I love every day, and I am so excited for this opportunity to visit the Italian Culinary Institute and learn even more.”

Ironically, Atwood’s post-secondary education didn’t start in the kitchen. While studying English literature at university, she worked at restaurants and bakeries to help offset the cost of her tuition. It was that work that stirred her passion for food. After graduation, she was offered a post-graduate opportunity at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England for creative writing. While overseas, her kitchen experience landed her a job working under Chef Kristin Frederick of Le Camion Qui Fume – a high-end food truck in Paris, France – and her career path forever changed.

“It was while working in Paris that I realized without formal culinary training certain doors in the industry would always remain closed to me,” said Atwood. “So I returned to school for a second time, choosing Durham College because of its excellent reputation in culinary arts. I knew after graduating from DC, those doors would begin to open.”

As she prepares to graduate this June, Atwood has already launched thebuttery.co – a culinary and travel online magazine that shares tips, tricks and recipes as well as stunning food photos guaranteed to make your mouth water. She is also in the process of developing a French version of the site.

“We are so pleased that Kristin chose Durham College to sharpen her skills and gain a competitive edge in the culinary industry,” said Don Lovisa, president, DC. “She has been a shining star in her program and will no doubt find success in all her endeavours. We are thrilled to present her with the first Gold Medal Award, and look forward to following this talented young woman in her new and exciting adventures.”

The Culinary Management program provides students with an opportunity to master the art of food and flavour. This includes exploring the possibilities of locally grown food, experimenting with ethnic and contemporary cuisine and developing abilities in the culinary arts. In addition, students learn valuable management skills to take their career to the next level. To learn more, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/cmgt.

Once again, Durham College (DC) Paramedic and Paramedic – Advanced Care students were among the winners at this year’s National Paramedic Competition, which was held on April 9 at DC’s Oshawa campus.

The competition saw 34 teams of professional and student paramedics from across Canada put their medical knowledge and skills to the test in a competitive format. Crews of student paramedics, along with professionals in advanced and primary care, all competed in scenario-specific situations at the same time. Team members were judged individually on their performance during each scenario, and on how well they performed together as a unit. At the end of the competition, the combined scores were added up and the winners were declared in the student, advanced care and primary care divisions.

DC’s team of Jena Spencer and Rob Triano, second-year Paramedic students, finished second among the 17 teams competing in the student division. Students in DC’s paramedic programs also played a role in helping the competition run as smoothly as possible.

Ralph Hofmann, program co-ordinator of the Paramedic and Paramedic – Advanced Care program, which is housed under the college’s School of Justice & Emergency Services, said there was more than enough behind-the-scenes work available to keep many of the students busy, even though they weren’t competing. “Some students helped our competitors during practice sessions, while others volunteered to assist with running the competition by serving as simulated patients, providing supplies and even doing make-up for ‘victims’ during the scenarios,” said Hofmann. “Students got the opportunity to network and show off their stuff to prospective employers and co-workers, and the competitors were able to perform their skills in a different setting and have some fun with it.”

While competitions like this are no substitute for an actual medical emergency, Hofmann said the participants definitely knew they had to be at the top of their game in order to win. Nevertheless, he says it was a great experience for everyone involved, no matter what the outcome. “The competition can be stressful and challenging and, in the end, no matter what the result, our DC students walk away with smiles on their faces,” he said.

Although the weather outside was cold and blustery, spring was definitely in the air on Saturday, April 9 at Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food (CFF). That’s because teams of students in the Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts program used spring as their theme for three different pop-up bake shops, selling sweet treats to an appreciative crowd of students and visitors.

The pop-up shops were the result of a semester-long capstone project that marked the culmination of all the learning experiences the students had acquired during the program. The students spent an average of 25 to 30 hours in the kitchen labs preparing a variety of sweet and savoury baked goods, confections and preserves. In addition, students were responsible for the marketing, budgeting, packaging and decision-making for all elements of their pop-up bake shop. Using the skills they had acquired in the program, students successfully created the products, determined how they would be displayed, created a pricing strategy and used their sales skills to encourage customers to make purchases. 

For Jeremy Wong and his teammates at the Spring Fever Bakery, the competition was an opportunity to “share their passion” for good food and pastry, and to work on his sales and customer service skills.

“It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve made a lot of items using spring fresh ingredients,” said Wong. “Our goal is to sell out of all of our products and to show off our skills to both our customers and our professors.”

Student Marie Owen and her Patisserie Noir team chose the theme “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and featured a variety of hand-dipped chocolates and other sweet treats, packaged in attractive black-trimmed wrapping. Owen said that as exhausting as it can be to prepare and package all of their products, the final results always make it worthwhile.

“I enjoy baking and making things so much, that I have to remind myself to remember to take the money from customers,” she said with a laugh.

Student baker Suzette Kearns and her team from the Spring Flour Bakery featured a mixture of sweet and savoury items at their shop, including products that used edible pansies produced by DC’s Horticulture – Food and Farming students from the CFF’s gardens exclusively for this event. Kearns and her team were relieved they’d reached the final stage in their course work, and she said they enjoyed the challenge of selling their wares directly to the public.

“I spend most of my time at the back of the house, baking things and working in the kitchen,” she said. “It’s a nice change to sit down and work out the prices for our products, develop a theme for our pop-up shop and really get into the business side of things.”

“I’m really proud of all three student teams and the work they did for their final projects,” said Chef Tanya Heck, professor at the CFF. “The presentation and quality of all the students’ work shone through at this event and I’m pleased all of them were virtually completely sold out of their products by the end of day. It was truly a great effort.”

The tardy arrival of spring this year has meant the perfect weather for a Canadian winter classic – mac n’ cheese. On April 9, eight teams of local Grade 11 and 12 students gathered at the Durham College (DC) Centre for Food (CFF) to put their culinary and creative skills to the test at the college’s second annual Epic Mac n’ Cheese Competition.

Watched by an appreciative crowd of parents, family, friends and DC Culinary Management students, the competitors cooked up an amazing variety of macaroni and cheese delicacies, using ingredients as varied as crab, smoked duck, bacon and Montreal smoked meat. Samples of each team’s recipe were provided to festival visitors, who were then asked to vote on their favourites.

“Events like this help us build our profile in the community by encouraging high school students who are considering a career in the culinary sector  to showcase their talents in DC’s state-of-the-art kitchen facilities,” said Chef Peter Lee, program co-ordinator of the college’s Culinary Management program  and the driving force  behind this year’s festival. “At the same time, our Culinary Management students worked with the competitors, offering advice, support and constructive feedback on their work. It’s a fun event that’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Based on the votes from festival-goers, first-place honours went to Savannah Lowe and Natalie Young of J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate in Ajax. Two teams from St. Peter Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough rounded out the top three, with Courtney Ross and Jeremy Breese taking second place and John Fawn and Gordon McGlaughlin finishing third.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win,” said Lowe, who is currently in Grade 12 and keeping her options open about a possible culinary career. “I was so nervous that we weren’t going to hear our names called, and then when Chef Peter called Natalie’s name, I knew we were going to get first place.”

The winning teams received cooking equipment, cookbooks and other prizes, while each student was also awarded a certificate of appreciation for their participation. While not every team could be a winner, all of the 16 participants are now eligible to apply for a bursary towards tuition for a culinary, hospitality or special events program at DC.

Chef Lee says he was pleased with the calibre of all of the entries that made it from the kitchen to the table at this year’s event. “The vote gap between many of the teams was very close, reflecting the quality of the ingredients and the hard work and preparation that was done by the students and their Durham College mentors,” he said. “I hope we’ll have the opportunity to see many of those who took part in the festival in our classrooms in the near future.”