The news comes almost five years since the CFWI’s Junior Culinary Team Canada, comprised of NC culinary students and grads, captured gold and silver medals as they represented the country at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany.
“Our journey with Junior Culinary Team Canada from 2013 to 2016 was a legendary and significant moment for Niagara College and our amazing students,” said CFWI dean Craig Youdale. “Having professional Culinary Team Canada train in our facility is a great honour and a testament to the continued level of excellence we are known for.”
The CFWI Aurora Armoury will provide a consistent and central location for the team to practice to prepare for the Culinary Olympics. Youdale noted that the practices will create opportunities for the community and the York Region to experience some of the best chefs in Canada. They will also present opportunities for student-crafted products from NC’s Learning Enterprises – -including College wines, beers and spirits — to be showcased at Team Canada public events.
“Seeing our amazing beverages paired with some of our country’s best food is really a great testament to the hard work of our students and staff,” said Youdale.
In addition to hosting the national team at the CFWI Aurora Armoury location, Youdale takes pride in the fact that CFWI chef professor Olaf Mertens is serving as one of the team’s lead coaches, while NC alumni Vaishnav (Vish) Mayekar (Culinary Management, 2014) and Hannah Bowering (Culinary Management, and Baking and Pastry Arts in 2020), are members of the team. Mertens, who has completed his World Level Class A Judging designation, also coached the College’s Junior National Culinary Team Canada and mentored professional Team Canada at the 2020 IKA Olympics in Germany.
“We can not only boast having the team gain from Chef Olaf’s expertise but two of our own amazing graduates, Vaishnav Myekar and Hannah Bowering, are competing on the team,” said Youdale. “I could not be prouder to see Vish and Hannah on the world stage.”
Practice at the CFWI Aurora Armoury is a homecoming of sorts for Mayekar, who attributes much of his success, and opportunity to be on the national culinary team, to the experience he gained at NC.
“Niagara College has been the greatest experience for me in Canada. All the connections and networking I have been able to make since studying and graduating from NC has been incredibly rewarding,” he said. “I can’t express how excited I am to be part of the team and to be able to call Aurora Armoury the home base for the next few years for Team Canada’s practice.”
Bowering who graduated from two CFWI programs, notes on the Team’s website how she values being a part of the national team.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from such an incredible group of Chefs,” said Bowering. “I am so excited to see where this experience takes me in my career, and am honoured to support Team Canada in their journey to go for gold.”
Team manager Paul Hoag noted that he and the entire team of chefs (including Olaf Mertens, Rahil Rathod, Jonathan Thauberger, Robert Graveline, Sydney Hamelin, Calvin Wat, Vish Mayekar, Zagros Leung, Yue Long, Daley Soloman, Peter Dewar, Russ Thayer, Rebecca van Bommel and Hannah Bowering) are very excited to be able to use the Armoury kitchen.
“We are happy to have the support of the Aurora Armoury and the community at large,” said Hoag.
Cheer on Culinary Team Canada
For information about Culinary Team Canada, visit culinaryteamcanada.com. Follow the team’s journey on Facebook (Team Canada Chefs) and Instagram (culinaryteamcanada).
