The spirit of giving is on the menu at the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute.
With the holiday season approaching, a group of chef professors and student volunteers have been as busy as Santa’s elves, preparing more than 250 Christmas dinners and cakes for those in need. The holiday meals are being donated across Niagara and beyond, from Project Share in Niagara Falls and Start Me Up Niagara in St. Catharines, to the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton and The Hospital for Sick Children (lounge) in Toronto.
For the group of chef professors and Culinary Management students involved, their efforts have extended well past the holidays. They have been gathering each Monday since September to cook up a storm – on their own time, apart from their classes and labs – producing 250 to 300 meals on a weekly basis as part of the CFWI’s Feed the Community initiative. By the end of Fall term, 3,000 meals made by the CFWI’s group of volunteers will have been donated to community agencies across Niagara including Port Cares in Port Colborne and The Raft in St. Catharines, as well as Project Share and Start Me Up Niagara.
Spearheaded by Chef Professor Olaf Mertens, with leadership from the CFWI’s former Associate Dean Gary Torraville (Director, International), and Chefs Dan Leblanc and Tom Liu, Feed the Community was launched during the Winter 2021 term to help support those in need during the pandemic.
“We just need to feed people because that is what cooks do – not just in a formal restaurant setting,” he said.
Mertens noted that the initiative gives students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in the real world, where food insecurity is a reality for many. It also helps them learn to be sustainably responsible and cut down on food waste.
Throughout the Fall term, he estimated that the students volunteered 100 hours to cooking, while two students who took on Team Lead roles — Joe Abbruscato and Floyd Labo – completed 140 hours with additional tasks such as working on menus, overseeing the process, ordering, receiving, marinating, portioning, packaging, labeling and food safety.
Several staff members were also dedicated to the effort. Chef Leblanc delivered the meals on Tuesday mornings, while Sam Seaver and Greg Stout contributed to receiving and food distribution, and Janet Misener took on student food orders,
The cost of food which supplied 3,000 meals during the 10 weeks of the Feed the Community initiative this Fall term was supported by a $6,000 donation from the Niagara Community Foundation.
Niagara Community Foundation Executive Director Bryan Rose said the Foundation was proud to support the College’s Feed the Community initiative this fall.
“The impact this program had by providing 300 meals a week totaling 3,000 meals throughout the Fall to feed some of the most vulnerable members of our community is truly inspiring,” said Rose. “NCF is honoured we could partner with the College and the volunteer chefs, staff and students in sharing their entrepreneurial spirit and generosity of their time and talents to create these meals and a sense of hope in our community.”
Mertens attributes the team’s success to their passion for feeding those with food insecurities.
“With eyes wide open, students packed and drove the 250 meals weekly to the distribution centres and saw a range of people in need of all ages and all walks of life,” he said.
The weekly Monday cooking sessions have been a bright light for the student volunteers during the pandemic.
“Cooking on Mondays was the semester’s highlight and skills outlet,” said Mertens.
CFWI Dean Craig Youdale noted that the Feed the Community initiative aligns with the College’s culinary programs, which strive to equip students with the best possible skills to allow them to be successful in the industry.
“The journey they take allows them to understand the power that food has on people’s lives, especially when it is not available,” said Youdale. “The work being done by our students shows the care and dedication they have to our community, and understanding the need for proper nutrition and the emotional impact that can have on people in the community.
“I am so proud of all our staff and students in their pursuit for a more inclusive and supportive community.”
Second-year Culinary Management student Joe Abbruscato noted that as a lifelong Niagara Falls resident whose family has resided in the region for generations, getting involved with Feed the Community was a meaningful opportunity to give back to the community. He also applauded the five international students among the group of volunteers who have embraced the opportunity to help their new community “as if they were feeding their own home communities.”
“Chef is only as great as the team he is surrounded by, to fulfill his vision. Menu standards and quality were only achievable with this tight-knit team that we cooked together with for the past semester,” said Abbruscato. “Teamwork and applying lessons learned during the semester at CFWI, and achieving these meal volumes in a short time span was our weekly team success.”
During the summer, the CFWI received Award of Merit certificates as part of the Niagara Region’s Impact Awards for the Feed the Community initiative, which donated 300 meals per week to different shelters during the Winter 2021 term.
Related article
August 11, 2021: Awards of Merit applaud College’s community impact
