Just weeks before he crosses the stage to graduate at Niagara College, Quentin Petkovich cooked his way into the spotlight on the national stage, as one of the top aspiring chefs in Canada.
Petkovich, who recently completed his second-year of the Culinary Management program at the College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute, has won a silver medal in the postsecondary cooking/cuisine category at Skills Canada National Competition, which was held in Edmonton June 4-5. He qualified to represent Ontario at the annual national competition after winning gold at the Skills Ontario Competition in May.
This year’s success is a repeat performance for Petkovich. In 2017, as a first-year culinary student, he also won gold at Skills Ontario and silver at Skills Canada.
“For Quentin to be able to maintain this level of excellence over his entire time with Niagara College is impressive. It is a testament to both his own dedication and the focus, and the drive of his mentor, chef professor Olaf Mertens,” said CFWI dean Craig Youdale. “I personally saw the effort and work that went into preparation and they both should be commended. Competitions allow us to take the CFWI brand to a national stage and spark the conversation on the quality of our program and dedication of our staff.”
Chef professor Olaf Mertens, who has been training Petkovich for months to prepare for the competitions, applauded the achievements of this student who he describes as a “first-class person with exceptional manners – and humble.”
“This is one of the most dedicated and skilled young students that has come across my path here at Niagara College. He Is a true winner and someone that will put the work in, from creating the dish to the very last detail, to the judges’ tasting,” said Mertens. “It’s been a true pleasure to have had this experience to mentor a future chef that will have great success in his field of work.”
Mertens also worked with Vincenza Smith, culinary instructor at St. Paul Catholic High School in Niagara Falls, to mentor this year’s culinary arts competition for secondary school students at Skills Ontario and Skills Canada, resulting in a provincial gold win.
The Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) is the only national, multi-trade and technology competition for students and apprentices in the country. Every year, more than 500 young people from all regions of Canada come to SCNC to participate in over 40 skilled trade and technology competitions.
