Durham College student cooks up golden meal Posted on June 9, 2014 at 11:01 am. Sarah Lavergne earns top spot in national culinary competition OSHAWA, ON. – Less than a year after opening Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food (CFF) Sarah Lavergne, a first-year student in the CFF’s Culinary Skills program, has won gold in the Cooking category at the 20th annual Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC). Marking the first year of competition for a student from the new CFF, Lavergne claimed the national title one month after winning gold in Culinary Arts category at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC). The CFF, Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on the field-to-fork concept, is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food – in particular the production of local food for local consumers. SCNC is an Olympic-style multi-trade and technology competition that annually welcomes more than 500 competitors from across the country to compete in more than 40 trade and technology categories. This year’s golden result gives the college its sixth national medal in as many years. “We are very proud of Sarah’s accomplishments, which are a direct reflection of her hard work and commitment to her studies and her skills,” said Don Lovisa, president. “Her success re-affirms that the programs taught at DC prepare students for tremendous success against their peers on the national stage and in their professional careers. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Sarah on her performance and our faculty who have helped her prepare.” “I’m so thrilled and excited to have won gold at Skills Canada,” said Lavergne. “It’s something that I never thought possible when I first started the program. I couldn’t have done it without all the coaching, time and advice I received from my instructors, in addition to the support from everyone else at Durham College and my family and my friends.” The Culinary Skills program is a one-year program focused on providing skills in culinary planning, preparation and presentation for a variety of food-service environments. Students from these and a number of other programs benefit from working and learning in Bistro ’67, a full-service, green-certified teaching and learning restaurant located at the CFF. “In my first year I’ve learned so much about the culinary world and cooking, and this competition definitely showed me the value of commitment, determination and hard work,” she added. “What an awesome way to wrap up the school year!” Skills Canada is a not-for-profit organization that actively promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to Canadian youth. The organization offers experiential learning opportunities including skilled trades and technology competitions for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skilled trade awareness programs. For more information on the CFF and DC’s culinary programs, please visit www.durhamcollege.ca/CFF. -30- About Durham College At Durham College, the student experience comes first. In September 2013, the college welcomed more than 30,000 students to campus including more than 10,000 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students as well as part-time and continuing education students and online learners. The college offers a wide range of market-driven programs in a number of different disciplines including culinary, hospitality, tourism, horticulture, business, information technology, media, art, design, general arts, science, skilled trades, justice, emergency services, health and engineering technology, enabling students to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market. A three-phase expansion of the college’s Whitby campus was recently completed when the 36,000-square-foot Centre for Food opened on the northwest corner of campus. Accommodating approximately 900 additional students studying in culinary, hospitality, tourism, agricultural and horticultural programs, it also features Bistro ’67, a new, 70-seat, full-service, green-certified teaching and learning restaurant and Pantry, a new retail store featuring fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and ready-to-cook meals created by students in the college’s culinary programs. For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000. Media contact: Michelle Roebuck Communications and Marketing 905.721.2000 ext. 2197 michelle.roebuck@durhamcollege.ca SHARE:
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