It’s a time-honoured event that brings the country to the big city and once again Durham College (DC) is making its mark at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Sharing culinary expertise

This year Centre for Food (CFF) Chair David Hawey is providing his culinary expertise as he spends four days judging the semi-final and final competitions of the Egg Farmers of Ontario Road to the Royal chef challenge and the Toronto Invitational Chef Competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

“It’s a huge honour to be asked to participate,” said Hawey. “The focus of these competitions is on showcasing the ingredients and using local produce whenever possible, which is closely aligned to the CFF’s own field-to-fork philosophy. It’s nice to see top calibre chefs bringing the philosophy to life and I am pleased to contribute my expertise.”

Culinary students also appeared on-stage on November 7 and 8, as part of a partnership with the Ontario Apple Growers. Under the guidance of Hawey they developed one sweet and one savoury apple-based appetizer and demonstrated how to prepare them in front of a live audience.

“It was really exciting to share these recipes with fair goers,” said Kristin Atwood, a second-year student in DC’s Culinary Management program. “It was both challenging and fun to take the skills we were taught in-class and use them to develop the dishes.”

Sharing information

With over 300,000 visitors attending the Royal annually, it is also a great opportunity for DC to reach prospective students and their families. The college’s recruitment team is on-hand for the duration of the event to showcase the over 140 market-driven programs offered at the college. These include the extensive suite of field-to-fork programs offered at the CFF in the areas of baking, culinary, hospitality, events, food and farming and horticulture, as well as programs with a science and engineering focus including pharmaceutical and food sciences.

For anyone who wants to visit DC at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs until Sunday, November 16, stop by booth 518 in Hall A.

On November 3, Durham College (DC) welcomed a delegation of Cuban public officials including the Ambassador of Cuba to Canada, the Consul General of Cuba in Toronto and the First Secretary, Embassy of Cuba in Canada to its Whitby campus.  The tour was part of a larger visit planned by the City of Oshawa to showcase the City and broader region and further develop the relationship that exists between Cuba and Canada in the year of the 70th anniversary of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the two countries.

While on campus, delegates were welcomed by President Don Lovisa and Vice-President, Academic Elaine Popp and taken on a tour of the college’s renewable energy labs, led by Mike McKenney, a professor in the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship and Renewable Technology. The guests had the opportunity to observe the campus’ renewable energy equipment including the rooftop solar panels and wind turbines. The group also enjoyed lunch at Bistro ’67, DC’s green-certified teaching restaurant located in the Centre for Food.

“It was an honour to meet with the Ambassador and host the Cuban delegation,” said Lovisa. “We learned more about priorities for Cuba in terms of developing partnerships and economic development of the country, while also sharing the work we are doing academically in the areas of renewable energy and about how we partner with local businesses. Our impact and partnerships are broad and directly benefit our campus and communities.”

Click here for more information about DC’s renewable energy programs.

Durham College (DC) recently welcomed representatives from the Centro Experimental de Formación Profesional (CEFOP), a technical and vocational college in Trujillo, Peru, completing a second training mission to share best practices between both institutions.

Four management-level colleagues from CEFOP spent two weeks at DC learning about institutional procedures: recruitment of vulnerable youth, admissions, team work, performance evaluation and leadership training, while also exploring the strategies used to administer and run the Centre for Food’s (CFF) culinary programs and green-certified teaching restaurant Bistro ’67, all of which are based on the field-to-fork philosophy.

This latest mission is the second between both organizations, who are working together to examine practices that will help them excel at home and abroad. The first visit saw representatives from DC travel to Peru in July 2015 after the college was awarded a contract from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). With the goal of partnering with CEFOP, DC is sharing its experience and expertise in the areas of culinary arts and gastronomy, while also helping to update and enhance their curriculum, build industry linkages and assist CEFOP in providing its students with the skills they need to further promote and enhance the world-renowned and growing reputation of Peruvian cuisine.

“Our partnership with CEFOP not only gives us a chance to share our expertise but stands to have a great impact on the college, its students and the wider community,” said Mark Herringer, executive director, International Education. “It is also a great example of post-secondary institutions from across the globe working together to build expertise and improve the student experience.”

Driven by Katie Boone, international project manager with the college’s International Office, and David Hawey, chair of the CFF, the DC team is looking at options for adapting its field-to-fork philosophy for CEFOP’s urban center, reinforcing industry engagement strategies, highlighting the importance of inclusive management and student-centered teaching strategies and facilitating improvements to revenue generation activities of CEFOP.

The project is ongoing until March 2017 with several more visits planned between both institutions.

For more information about DC’s CFF please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/academic-schools/centre-for-food.

Durham College (DC) alumni talked hockey, health care and their roads to success during the third-annual Alumni in the Pit, which took place on November 3.

The event saw Nicole Blackman, a registered nurse and Dylan Wade, director of partnerships and business development for the NHL Alumni Association, return to campus to share their experiences following graduation as they answered questions and provided guidance to students who are about to set out on their own career paths.

 “75 per cent of your day is spent working,” said Blackman, who graduated from DC’s Nursing program in 2004. “With that stat in mind it’s important to make sure you are doing something you love.”

“Patience is key,” added Wade, a 2007 graduate from DC’s Sports Business Management program. “You’re not going to get what you want if you don’t ask for it but also know it may not happen overnight.”

Blackman began her education in a completely different program but soon discovered her passion was nursing. She didn’t have the required grades to get into DC’s Nursing program so she completed academic upgrading and was subsequently accepted. She credits her college professors and the relationships she formed with helping her succeed and began looking for her first job five months before graduation – something she advises all soon-to-be grads to do. Her path has taken her to a remote community in Ontario’s far north to focus on Aboriginal health and back to the Durham Region again and she has continued to pursue her education along the way.

“I want to stress that learning never ends,” she said. “Be humble when you start out, seek guidance, ask lots of questions and take advantage of professional development activities. And don’t forget to start an RRSP, that’s where my first paycheque went!”

Wade also began his post-secondary studies in another program, and, like Blackman, realized he wasn’t on the right path. DC’s Sports Business Management graduate certificate was the solution and, after completing one semester in class, he embarked on a four-month field placement with the University of Hawaii; something he credits with helping him launch his current career. Upon completion of the placement and, after reaching out to his contacts, he landed his dream job with the NHL Alumni Association, where he’s remained working for the past eight years.

“I’m not necessarily the norm in the working world,” he said. “I’ve stayed in one spot and worked my way through the ranks. When my job has felt stagnant, I’ve advocated for a change and sought out mentorship from both within and outside the organization. My position with the association has changed because I put together a rationale and made a case for growth and more responsibility.”

Despite coming from very different programs both alumni agreed that finding your true passion, hard work and gratitude are the keys to success.

“We’re thrilled we could reconnect with two fantastic representatives from the college’s growing alumni community,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “This event gives our students the opportunity to learn first-hand from graduates who have been in their shoes and have successfully made their way in the working world. We’re so pleased that DC’s programs and employees have had such a positive impact on their careers.”