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Success Stories

Culinary Arts Co-operative Education

Jarrett Beaulieu

Jarrett Beaulieu

"Do it the right way, no matter how much longer it takes – read, study, practice – take on more than what you are currently responsible for. Believe in yourself and seek out those whom you can learn from. Develop and maintain relationships.

The opportunity I was given on job placements, in the end this resulted in my first position – a culinary apprenticeship at the Toronto Hilton and subsequently, my first move abroad. The opportunity to develop other management skills ..." 

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Kellie Callender

Kellie Callender

"My first coop was at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver. It made me realize which aspects of cooking I was truly passionate about. I had the chance to explore multiple sections from fine dining, butchery, high volume pastry work and banquet catering.  It was my main drive to focus on working in a small restaurant setting where I was able to learn a more varied skill set in all ..." 

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David Wong

David Wong

"The instruction I received at VIU has stayed with me throughout the years - it is the personal connection the instructors made with us students that made the difference for me. It was the Bocuse d'Or in 2009 which helped define me as a Chef. The intensity and demands of that event pushes you to be better - I am very grateful to have had the honour ..."

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Janet Kerr

Janet Kerr

"For Vancouver Island University (VIU) student Janet Kerr, putting all her eggs in a basket has paid off. For a video she made about cooking her family's preferred weekend-morning breakfast, she has won a chef's jacket, $250 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Canadian Culinary Federation's national conference, happening next month in Windsor, Ontario ..."

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Matthew Batey

Matthew Batey

"My own success has been a combination of many factors, one of the most significant being the opportunities and belief in me by the instructors. I wish to provide the same support and opportunities to the next generation of culinarians. The value is immeasurable. I was exposed to many different topics by leading chefs who were passionate about their craft. They wanted me to learn and be successful. You can't buy the life lessons or experiences that the ..."

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Iain Rennie

Iain Rennie

"What you put into cooking is what you will get out of it and years down the road you will wish you had learned more from the chefs around you."

What I enjoyed most was the training I got from all the chef instructors also being at VIU when my Father Alex Rennie and my Grandfather Bill Rennie were chef instructors while I was there learning ..."

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Cameron Ballendine

Cameron Ballendine

"Understand that cooking is not a job - it's a lifestyle. It's demanding, stressful, tiring, and one of best ways to see the world."

Realize that cooking school does not mean you're a chef, it's the years of working with many different cooks and chefs in deserving kitchens and excelling in them all that makes you a chef. Be humble and take the opportunity to travel and work abroad, experience food from street carts to 5 star hotels and ..."

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