Canada’s new Top Chef is a proud Durham College (DC) graduate.

Trevane ‘Tre’ Sanderson, a 2015 graduate of DC’s Culinary Management program, claimed victory last month on the hit show Top Chef Canada. Facing off against 10 of Canada’s best chefs, Tre needed all of his culinary knowledge and passion to come out on top.

“This moment, this win, was so memorable,” he said. “It was a proud moment and a big accomplishment.”

Studying the culinary arts at DC was an easy choice for Tre, who has nurtured a love of food and cooking ever since childhood. His timing couldn’t have been better, as he and his classmates were the very first to learn their trade at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. Tre cited the unique education he received there, including DC’s field-to-fork and sustainable business practices, as a big factor in the success he has achieved so far.

“DC gave me the confidence to get out there and go into my industry.”

The up-and-coming chef’s career has been on the rise ever since he graduated, with successful stints at notable Toronto restaurants like Baro, Hotel X and Vela. Fresh off his Top Chef triumph, he hopes to return to DC in the near future and give back to the school and its students. Plans aren’t finalized yet, but he’d like to work with the current Culinary Management students, and even set up a pop-up restaurant, hopefully in time for Black History Month in February.

He’ll have plenty of advice to offer to the young chefs at the Whitby campus.

“Always challenge yourself, and never stay comfortable,” he said. “The moment you’re comfortable, you stop learning.”

As for his own future, Tre has big plans, and opening his own restaurant will be just the beginning.

“I want to start this culinary empire I’ve always dreamed of since I started cooking…keep pushing the boundaries and working with different chefs. I want to be a world class chef who people can look up to.”

By becoming Canada’s Top Chef, Tre has demonstrated that anything is possible when you work hard, dream big and can lead with way with a great education.