Elevating VCC’s international culinary education experience in Mexico
In November 2024, VCC Culinary Arts chef Ysabel Sukic and three VCC students visited the University of Colima in Colima, Mexico to participate in a field school and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). This experience provided different ways of thinking about culinary arts, food, and culture through a direct experiential learning opportunity in another country.
“It was so cool to see a different way to learn about cooking. When you cook you can see the difference between the countries and cultures,” says Brenda, culinary arts student and participant in this field school.
Chef Ysabel, department lead, had visited the University of Colima in April to explore opportunities for future projects with the University’s Faculty of Tourism and Gastronomy. The four-week activities in November were a result of Chef Ysabel’s successful experience in April which was funded by a faculty exchange grant from the Government of Canada.
“For me, it was really inspiring to see the student’s learning and their realizations," shared Ysabel. "Especially for the baking and pastry classes. Cooks will always find a way to make it work and being innovative is key."
During their visits to the University of Colima, Chef Ysabel and the VCC students incorporated technology into culinary arts education and training with VCC demonstrating our cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) technology. They also used online technology to connect classrooms at VCC and the University to work on recipes in virtual environments.
This event was made possible through a scholarship from the Government of Mexico, and the partnership between VCC and the University of Colima through the University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP) consortium. The VCC Foundation also supported this mobility activity with funds to offset additional fees and costs for the students.
This field school in Colima supports the global experiences and partnerships objective of the International Education Strategic Plan by developing and enhancing opportunities for the VCC community to participate in and benefit from global engagement through strategic partnerships.
To learn more about international initiatives, please email Jennifer Gossen, Director International Education at jgossen@vcc.ca or visit www.vcc.ca or follow @vccinternational on Instagram.