"A Feu Vif" version of this newsletter to follow separately ...
Welcome to the February issue of the “Hot Off the Grill” Culinary Federation Newsletter!

First off, I’d like to congratulate all our members for participating in our CF February Wellness Challenge this month. It was inspiring to see our membership band together and make conscious choices to improve their wellness. A special shout out to our Wellness Ambassador Mike Pitre, who encouraged our challengers and participated alongside them. We hope this month has acted as a jumping off point to 2022 being a year of self care and intentional activity! 

As you’ll see below, the National Conference Registration website is up and running. Thank you to those who have registered to attend the conference in Saskatoon so far, we cannot wait to Reset & Reconnect with you in June. 

We are excited to announce a new Culinary Federation Young Chef Initiative called FAMILY FOOD. 

Culinary Schools across Canada will participate in a culinary competition of the minds. Teams are comprised of 5 students and one coach. The preliminary rounds and semi finals will take place virtually on March 30th - a link will be available closer to the event date for anyone who wants to watch online. 

The finals will be held at the National Conference in Saskatoon June 2022. The teams will be competing for some amazing prizes:
  • 1st Place – $5,000.00 ($1,000 per team member) Winners Medallions & Team Trophy, Complimentary 2023 National Young Chef Memberships and Complimentary 2023 National Conference Registrations.
  • 2nd Place - $500.00 ($100 per team member) Winners Medallions, Complimentary 2023 National Young Chef Memberships and Complimentary 2023 National Conference Registrations.

The competing schools will be:
PEI - Holland College
Ontario - Centennial College, Fanshawe College, Fleming College
Manitoba - Red River College
Saskatchewan - Sask Polytech
Alberta - NAIT
BC - North Island College (NIC)

Stay tuned for more details so you can tune in and cheer on your college of choice. Huge thanks to Nestle Professional who has partnered with the Culinary Federation to provide this opportunity to our Young Chefs. 
As always, thank you for your continued support and membership, if there is anything you want to discuss regarding the Culinary Federation and your membership experience, please contact me at president@culinaryfederation.ca

Thank you,

Ryan Marquis
National President
Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their membership for 2022.

For those who still need to renew, login to www.culinaryfederation.ca and you will be prompted to renew.

If you need assistance renewing, please contact our National Administrator Lisa Evangelos at admin@culinaryfederation.ca
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF OUR 2022 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS CONTEST (chosen randomly from all members who renewed by the December 31, 2021 deadline):

Eric Appiah (CF Toronto)
Miranda McElwain (CF Edmonton)
Susan Spiering (CF Toronto)
Tanios Abinader (CF Edmonton)

Winners will receive $100 in CF merchandise (watch for the Spring catalogue launching soon!)
The Conference Planning Committee are thrilled to announce that, through a generous grant from the City of Saskatoon, we are able to offer a $125 reduction in 2022 conference registration fees for our members. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to “RESET AND RECONNECT” with your Culinary Federation family in Saskatoon in June 2022! We can't wait to see you!
Stay tuned for information about the education and events program to follow in our separate conference newsletter.
We are pleased to advise that Entegra Inc. has partnered with Moneris®, Canada’s leading payment processor, to offer Culinary Federation members preferred rates for credit and debit card payment processing. These rates will apply for business as well as branch transactions.

Serving over 350,000 merchant locations across Canada, Moneris understands the payment landscape and is here to help businesses accept payments easily and securely. Whether you want to accept payments in-person, online, or via mobile devices, Moneris offers a variety of solutions that can meet your different needs. In addition to the preferred rates, you can also enjoy services such as 24/7 support and stress-free set up. 

To take advantage of the preferred rates program, please contact Moneris at 1-877-819-8899 and quote chain #30600060943.

For more information about Moneris, visit Moneris.com/Associations.

Click HERE for rate sheet details. 
MARCH PRODUCT FEATURE!
Thank you to ChefWorks Canada for your ongoing support of our culinary community.

CF MEMBERS, PLEASE PLACE ALL ORDERS VIA EMAIL TO:
OR CALL 1-888-640-2433

(make sure you mention that you are a CF member!)
Please join us in welcoming these new and returning members to the Culinary Federation:
CF VANCOUVER
Rima Azimi Montazer

CF LETHBRIDGE
Eric Austin (Foodie Member)

CF CALGARY
Tim Greaves

CF LONDON
Patrick Hersey
Alyssa Randall
CF MUSKOKA
Steven Mattinson

CF TORONTO
Noah Paquette
Simon Lin Yu
Ryan Hay
Luca Gerace
Lauren Stevens

CF OTTAWA
Nirmalkumar Soni
CF PEI
Adam Asey
Airat Olaniyi-Ibiyeye
Alice Cheverie
Angel Braden
Ayla Pomroy
Aysha Dulisse
Cameron Miller
Charlotte Fresia
Chelsea Huang
Cheyenne Johnston
Crystal Roussel
Daniel Reso
Derin Chaliserry Valappila Denny
Dominic Johnson
Ebin Joseph
Emily Beckman
Eva Hastings
Fernando Losada
Gavin Robertson
Geordy Marshall
Gian Karla Balina
Glendon Gray
Hyeokjun Yoo
Isaac Macdougall
J Adam Warren
Jacob Woodall
Jake Lacasse
Jakob Gosbee
James Lightfoot
James Peter Alexander Hubbard
Jamesha Knowles
JianLin Song
Jordan Young
Joshua Tremblett
Kabir Singh
Kalyan Vattikuti
Kari Kitt
Kelechi Prisca Anthonia Mbaeri
Kersti Kass
Kiersten Hastey
Kovi Young
Kristen Perry
Kwok Leung Chan
Kyla Gerbrandt
Kylie Atengco
Leena Narrainsawmy
Lina Tchaika
Lucas Walmsley
Maddie Newhook
Martin Watson
Mary MacIntyre
Meika Kombourquette
Michael Willcot
Neeru Dagar
Ngoc On
Nora Deyoung
Olivia Craig
Owen Wade
Paul Altomonte
Rebecca Reardon
Rebekah Gamble-Allen
Samantha Mills
Sarah Labor
Sasha Burkitt
Scheneil Gogna
Scott Peacock
Sean McAllister
Sichuang Zhang
Teresa Mendoza Alvarez
Thais Getsels
Thomas Thatcher
Truc Ho
Udaipal Singh
William Sharkey
Ximo Huang
Yashashvi Rawat
Yashodhan Uppal
Yuqing Jia
Ziyi Han
YOUNG CHEF OF THE MONTH ....
Blake Forster, CF Lethbridge
I’ve always had an itch for cooking, ever since I was a small boy, I can remember helping my mom or grandmothers with large holiday meals. Getting out of Highschool I never really knew what I was going to pursue for a career. Growing up in the small farm town of Forestburg Alberta, there weren’t many jobs outside of farming and other trades. Big Willy’s Bar at the Heisler Hotel was where I got my first job in the food service industry. Working as a waiter and bartender, I got to see the behind-the-scenes workings of a kitchen. I was hooked and knew then that I would want to pursue something like this in the future.

I started my culinary career at Lethbridge College taking the diploma program. Learning countless new skills, and meeting great people has reinforced the passion I have for this profession. I was lucky enough to work at the Paradise Canyon golf course over the summer of 2021 surrounded by some fantastic people and a great work environment - I plan to continue to work there this coming summer. I will finish my diploma program in April and start my third year of apprenticeship in the Fall along with competing at the 2022 Skills Alberta Competition. 
CHEF OF THE MONTH ....
Nirmalkumar Soni, CF Ottawa
Chef Nirmalkumar Soni comes from a small Indian village where the culinary profession is still taboo. Chef Nirmal started his journey with resistance from his own family. For a more formal initiation into the culinary world, he took the first step in 2011 by pursuing a diploma in hospitality management from AHLEI-USA, specializing in culinary arts. Due to financial difficulties, he could not continue further studies, but worked for free just to get experience. In 2014 he started his own small catering business and never looked back.

While running his catering business, he also worked for many restaurants as a consultant. Chef Nirmal even took his grandmother's recipe to a new level by adding his own creativity. 

He then moved to Paris - a gastronomy centre of the world - for more hands-on experience. Nirmal worked as a chef for Paris’s famous Italian caterer Da Vittorio Giordano, as a chef consultant for a famous south Indian chain Restaurant, then as a fine dining chef at Disneyland Paris, where he honed his communication and leadership skills. He also ran a YouTube channel named FOODUMM. 

In 2021, Chef Nirmal took over the kitchen at the historic The Gananoque Inn as an Executive Chef where he has elevated the cuisine to its current state, continuing to update the menu seasonally and reflecting his long journey in both pub style and fine dining restaurants.