Stirring the Pot

2
In November, Smith joined a new but sea- soned team of industry aces that is guiding Centennial College into its next renaissance. “I want to be a part of creating great pro- grams in and around culinary that will get students a good job in the community but also a job that’s keeping up with the times,” he says. In his newly created role, Smith will focus on the academic leadership of the culinary and baking programs, the academic operations of a new Culinary Arts Centre (see “Building Blocks,” p. 34) and oversee the transition into the expanded facility in 2016. Centennial’s hospitality programs have previously been a relatively small part of the college, but industry demand for more robust education and more graduates with culinary skills led to additional program- ming and investments in new cooking and bake labs approximately two years ago. The results were tremendous and have spurred further initiatives under the leadership of Joe Baker, dean at the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts, who assumed his role in May. “Now that we’re into that culi- nary world, we have aspirations to do new program development and really expand as we get a bigger facility,” he says. “My mandate is to make sure industry recog- nizes Centennial as a leader to recruit and to hire workers, that we’re giving educa- tional opportunities to students locally and internationally and that we’re preparing the workforce of the future.” Of course, Baker cannot entirely under- stand what the industry is going to look like in the future, but he knows what’s impor- tant. “A workforce that looks at things from a different perspective is going to be essen- tial,” he says. “Innovation and entrepreneur- ialism are becoming the new essential skills, almost as important as customer service and food handling, so it’s focusing on those skills and making sure they are embedded in our curriculum.” Before joining academia more than eight years ago, Baker worked extensively in the restaurant business at establishments such as Richmond, B.C.-based The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, and Toronto-based Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants; he has assembled a like-minded leadership team. Michelle Caine also brings insider know-how to her role, having worked in various hospitality and FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY JANUARY 2015 33 32 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY JANUARY 2015 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM LEADERSHIP A dynamic new management team at Toronto’s Centennial College is shaking up the school’s culinary arts program BY HELEN CATELLIER STIRRING THE POT Though he grew up in a dairy-farming and cheese-making community in rural Australia, James Smith had little zest for food outside his mainstay meat and potatoes. But after he travelled to Toronto at age 20, and tasted Vietnamese fish pho in the city’s vibrant Kensington Market, the chair of Culinary Programs and Operations at Toronto’s Centennial College fell in love with the idea of food. The exotic fla- vours and ingredients, opened up a new world to him and kick-started his 25-year journey as a chef, educator and school administrator. management capacities at restaurant com- panies, including Oakville, Ont.-based Tim Hortons and Toronto-based Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, before switching to educa- tion. The chair of Centennial’s School of Hospitality & Tourism is bringing relevancy, connections within the industry and more guest speakers to the curriculum to ensure her students land great placements and ultimately great careers upon graduation. “Colleges are about getting people jobs and careers and being very hands on,” she says. Caine leads by example, seizing any opportunity to get involved in the commu- nity. She’ll encourage her students to par- ticipate in industry events, conferences and awards shows as the programs evolve. She’s fostering connections with high schools to promote Centennial as a great place for hospitality training, and she’s working with local MPPs to develop community breakfast programs. In July, celebrity chef Rob Rainford joined the school as culinary ambassador to share his insights and do cooking demonstrations at high schools and community events. And, in September, 14 industry pros were welcomed to the team to teach in the classrooms, giving students crucial interaction with the trade. Smith, too, values his professional net- work and believes it’s essential to gain input from other chefs, food manufacturers and even grocery store chains to develop programs and courses for his students.“[Collaboration prepares] students to go out, be relevant and be trained to do what the industry needs,” he says. In addition to its theory-based classes, the Culinary Arts program will include more multiple learning platforms through the new Culinary Arts Centre. Students will operate an expanded 70-seat casual-style restaurant and a café, featuring breads and pastries (pre- pared in the baking labs), sandwiches, salads and gourmet coffee. “These operations were TRIPLE THREAT Centennial College’s (left to right) James Smith, chair of Culinary Programs and Operations; Michelle Caine, chair, School of Hospitality & Tourism; and Joe Baker, dean, are leading the institution’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts into the next era PHOTO: ANIA PHOTOGRAPHY [CENTENNIAL TEAM]

description

A dynamic new management team at Toronto's Centennial College is shaking up the school's culinary arts program (Foodservice & Hospitality, January 2015)

Transcript of Stirring the Pot

In November, Smith joined a new but sea-

soned team of industry aces that is guiding

Centennial College into its next renaissance.

“I want to be a part of creating great pro-

grams in and around culinary that will get

students a good job in the community but

also a job that’s keeping up with the times,”

he says. In his newly created role, Smith will

focus on the academic leadership of the

culinary and baking programs, the academic

operations of a new Culinary Arts Centre

(see “Building Blocks,” p. 34) and oversee the

transition into the expanded facility in 2016.

Centennial’s hospitality programs have

previously been a relatively small part of

the college, but industry demand for more

robust education and more graduates with

culinary skills led to additional program-

ming and investments in new cooking and

bake labs approximately two years ago. The

results were tremendous and have spurred

further initiatives under the leadership of

Joe Baker, dean at the School of Hospitality,

Tourism & Culinary Arts, who assumed his

role in May. “Now that we’re into that culi-

nary world, we have aspirations to do new

program development and really expand

as we get a bigger facility,” he says. “My

mandate is to make sure industry recog-

nizes Centennial as a leader to recruit and

to hire workers, that we’re giving educa-

tional opportunities to students locally and

internationally and that we’re preparing the

workforce of the future.”

Of course, Baker cannot entirely under-

stand what the industry is going to look like

in the future, but he knows what’s impor-

tant. “A workforce that looks at things from

a different perspective is going to be essen-

tial,” he says. “Innovation and entrepreneur-

ialism are becoming the new essential skills,

almost as important as customer service

and food handling, so it’s focusing on those

skills and making sure they are embedded in

our curriculum.”

Before joining academia more than eight

years ago, Baker worked extensively in the

restaurant business at establishments such as

Richmond, B.C.-based The Keg Steakhouse

and Bar, and Toronto-based Oliver &

Bonacini Restaurants; he has assembled a

like-minded leadership team. Michelle Caine

also brings insider know-how to her role,

having worked in various hospitality and

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY JANUARY 2015 3332 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY JANUARY 2015 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

LEADERSHIP

A dynamic new management team at Toronto’s Centennial College is shaking up the school’s culinary arts program

BY HELEN CATELLIER

STIRRING THE POT

Though he grew up in a dairy-farming and cheese-making community in rural Australia, James Smith had little zest for food outside his mainstay meat and potatoes. But after he travelled to Toronto at age 20, and tasted Vietnamese fish pho in the city’s vibrant Kensington Market, the chair of Culinary Programs and Operations at Toronto’s Centennial College fell in love with the idea of food. The exotic fla-vours and ingredients, opened up a new world to him and kick-started his 25-year journey as a chef, educator and school administrator.

management capacities at restaurant com-

panies, including Oakville, Ont.-based Tim

Hortons and Toronto-based Krispy Kreme

Doughnuts, before switching to educa-

tion. The chair of Centennial’s School of

Hospitality & Tourism is bringing relevancy,

connections within the industry and more

guest speakers to the curriculum to ensure

her students land great placements and

ultimately great careers upon graduation.

“Colleges are about getting people jobs and

careers and being very hands on,” she says.

Caine leads by example, seizing any

opportunity to get involved in the commu-

nity. She’ll encourage her students to par-

ticipate in industry events, conferences and

awards shows as the programs evolve. She’s

fostering connections with high schools

to promote Centennial as a great place

for hospitality training, and she’s working

with local MPPs to develop community

breakfast programs. In July, celebrity chef

Rob Rainford joined the school as culinary

ambassador to share his insights and do

cooking demonstrations at high schools and

community events. And, in September, 14

industry pros were welcomed to the team

to teach in the classrooms, giving students

crucial interaction with the trade.

Smith, too, values his professional net-

work and believes it’s essential to gain input

from other chefs, food manufacturers and

even grocery store chains to develop programs

and courses for his students.“[Collaboration

prepares] students to go out, be relevant and

be trained to do what the industry needs,”

he says.

In addition to its theory-based classes, the

Culinary Arts program will include more

multiple learning platforms through the new

Culinary Arts Centre. Students will operate

an expanded 70-seat casual-style restaurant

and a café, featuring breads and pastries (pre-

pared in the baking labs), sandwiches, salads

and gourmet coffee. “These operations were

TRIPLE THREAT Centennial College’s (left to right) James Smith, chair of Culinary Programs and Operations; Michelle Caine, chair, School of Hospitality & Tourism; and Joe Baker, dean, are leading the institution’s School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts into the next era

PHO

TO: A

NIA

PHO

TOG

RA

PHY [C

ENTEN

NIA

L TEAM

]

34 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY JANUARY 2015 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

designed with an academic perspective in

mind,” Baker says. “Experiential learning is a

hallmark of what we do at Centennial and is

a differentiating factor.”

A conference centre on the eighth floor of

the new facility — which will include small

meeting rooms, open event spaces and a

private dining room — will provide oppor-

tunities to cultivate skills at special events.

A catering kitchen and four hotel suites will

service those operations as well. In addition,

a quick-service, off-campus restaurant will

enhance experiential learning opportunities

while maintaining the safety net of a class-

room setting. “You’ve got to get students on

the ground, in the trenches so to speak and do

it while it’s still a safe learning environment,”

explains Smith.

Coming in at the grass-roots level is what

Smith looks forward to most. “Vision-wise

and philosophy-wise, this new position is

really where I see myself having the biggest

impact with students and the creation of new

programming,” he says. l

BUILDING BLOCKSThe future of Canada’s foodservice industry

is bright, and Toronto’s Centennial College

is doling out a hefty sum to prove it. In

October, construction began on its $85-mil-

lion Centennial Residence and Culinary

Arts Centre (rendering pictured).

“The $60-billion Canadian foodservice

industry is a significant part of the econo-

my,” says Joe Baker, dean at the college’s

School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary

Arts. “And Centennial College is really there

to support economic development. There

are people from industry calling, asking for

workers in culinary positions, baking posi-

tions, commercial baking facilities and large-

scale production, so that’s significant.”

The Culinary Arts Centre will double the school’s existing capacity and include three kitchen labs,

two bake labs, a beverage lab, eight classrooms, faculty offices, a restaurant and a grab-and-go café.

Technology will allow for interactive learning in the classrooms, plus live streaming of cooking dem-

onstrations throughout the building. The top floor conference and banquet facilities, operated by the

school, will provide flexible meeting space for up to 425 and will be available for community use.

In addition to the academic offerings, the eight-storey building will house a residence for 742 stu-

dents, a convenience store, a cinema, a yoga room, spaces to lounge, plus a courtyard. Occupancy is

slated for fall 2016, just before Centennial marks its milestone 50th anniversary.

LEADERSHIP

PHO

TOS:

DR

EAM

STIM

E.C

OM