Archive 2013-2019

Posted on July 22, 2019

VCC Culinary Arts 2018-19 year in review

At Vancouver Community College (VCC), we like to say our grads are everywhere. When it comes to our culinary arts students, however, they're out there making their mark long before they graduate. 

In addition to attending daily classes and running our legendary on-campus cafeterias and eateries, every year, VCC chef instructors, staff members, and students also showcase their skills by cooking, catering, and serving at dozens of events around the city.

Check out the VCC Culinary Arts 2018-19 school year in review.  

September 2018

This school year, our VCC Chef's Table guest chef series really took off, starting with a delectable dinner by VCC alumna Chef Andrea Alridge from CinCin Ristorante.

Andrea Alridge CinCin tweet VCC September 2018


October 2018

October is always a busy month at VCC, and our culinary students made the most of it by hosting food stations at the fall 2018 Experience VCC open house, serving clients of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre at their Herstory in Focus fundraiser, and cooking alongside rising star Jefferson Bueno at his VCC Chef’s Table dinner.





November 2018

As chilly weather set in, VCC chefs brought their knowledge from last summer’s Korea trip to life with brand new courses featuring warm and spicy Korean cuisine. Other cuisines had their moment in the spotlight too, thanks to an an ultra-refined VCC Chef’s Table dinner by Danvee Kwok, a visit from Italian culinary arts students, and a masterclass by three-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck.





December 2018

As VCC students got ready for a hard-earned semester break, our chefs made sure the holiday spirit was alive and well at VCC. Meanwhile, in our Youth Train in Trades program at Samuel Roberts Technical Secondary, our youngest cooks wrapped up a successful season at Samuel’s Bistro.




January 2019

The New Year means a fresh start for many culinary arts students, from those starting entry-level programs to those returning for their final courses or apprenticeship levels. It’s also the perfect time to scrub the kitchens top to bottom!



February 2019

Despite some snowy weather, VCC’s international culinary arts students successfully launched their first VCC Chef's Table series of the year at JJ’s restaurant, wowing some big-name chefs and food bloggers in the process. This year’s Pink Shirt Day was also an extra-special event for our chefs, as they took a stand against bullying in the industry by sharing a viral video and wearing custom-made pink jackets.


March 2019

Competition and awards season arrived before we knew it, and VCC kicked it off in perfect form with Best Dessert at the B.C. Produce Association’s Healthy Chef Competition, as well as “Best Culinary School” in the Georgia Straight’s Golden Plates survey. March also brought Flourish, VCC’s annual fundraising gala, which is always a major opportunity for student cooks to work alongside top names in the industry.





April 2019

The performance trend continued for our culinary students in April with two gold medals at Skills BC, a major contribution to the 2019 Chinese Restaurants Awards, and a standout job hosting culinary stations at our spring 2019 Experience VCC open house. Also this month, our high school cohort at Walnut Grove Secondary also opened their restaurant One Season, and we proudly welcomed alumnus Shahni Arshad to the VCC Chef’s Table guest chef series.









May 2019

May kicked off with another competition win: first place in the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs student category by VCC’s Shoma Asano. This month, VCC’s culinary department also showed its community spirit by serving at the Central City Foundation’s Fair in the Square and hosting the Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship Competition. Finally, our Skills BC winners from April attended the Skills Canada National Competition in Halifax, NS, claiming two bronze medals, three silver, and two coveted spots on Team Canada, which will be competing at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 in Russia.







June 2019

The VCC Chef's Table pop-up kitchen was back in June, with food bloggers calling it “one of Vancouver’s best-kept secrets,” and last but not least, we were proud as punch to watch our latest cohort of culinary students receive their credentials at our 2019 spring convocation.




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Keep up with VCC culinary students and chefs by following them on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for news and updates from upcoming events like Brewery and the Beast, WorldSkills Kazan 2019, the Tourism Industry Partners golf tournament, JJ's Restaurant events, and a much-anticipated Red Seal reception.