Durham College (DC) graduate Victoria Rinsma earned a bronze medal at Chef Ireland 2018, part of the Chef Ireland Culinary Competitions, which took place in Dublin, February 6 and 7.

Representing the Institute of Technology Tralee’s (ITT) Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Department, Rinsma was part of a four-person team that competed across three categories; she captured a bronze medal in the Irish Beef Fillet competition open class.

Rinsma is a graduate of DC’s Culinary Management program, where students develop their skills in the culinary arts while learning valuable management skills to take their careers to the next level. Rinsma’s win in Ireland is the latest in a series of culinary accomplishments she has received over the course of her academic career.

While studying at DC, Rinsma was part of the winning team at the 2016 Taste Canada Cook the Books competition, where she competed against top culinary students from across Ontario, and she received DC’s 2017 Gold Medal Award, which honours the college’s top culinary student.

Rinsma’s passion for cooking has taken her to ITT, where she is pursuing a three-year BA in Culinary Arts. ITT and DC enjoy a long-standing partnership that enables DC graduates of several of the college’s two- and three-year programs to enter ITT bachelor programs with advanced standing, allowing them to earn a degree in as little as two additional semesters of study. It is one of DC’s more than 450 academic pathways offered via agreements with universities in Ontario, Canada and around the world.

Congratulations, Victoria!