Welcome to the January issue of the “Hot Off the Grill” Culinary Federation Newsletter!
We hope this message finds you in good health and filled with hope for the new year.
Thank you to all our members who have renewed for 2021. We are excited and grateful to have you back on board for another year.
Please be sure to login at www.culinaryfederation.ca and renew your membership if you haven’t already done so. A reminder that you now have the option to pay your membership monthly if that is more financially feasible.
Simply log in to your account, click the renew button and choose “recurring payments” as you’ll see below. If you have any questions, contact our National Administrator Lisa Evangelos admin@culinaryfederation.ca
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This month we are excited to launch a Social Media Membership Drive. Tune into our social media platforms to see new membership videos, Chef Take Overs and collaborative reels and posts. We want you to join us in spreading the word about the Culinary Federation Revolution, we want you to Be Part of the Change. No matter what hat you wear, we are all part of the same brigade. Stay tuned to like, reshare, and engage with us to expand our reach as an organization and to win some great prizes!
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If you’re not already following along, you can find us here:
We have started the year off strong - already meeting with the National Board of Directors along with our first Presidents Meeting of 2021 on January 16th.
As announced in November’s newsletter, we have decided to move to 4 Regional Conferences for 2021. Originally, we had hoped to host these between April – June, but with the continuing impact and restrictions of the pandemic, we have moved these conferences to late summer / fall. The conferences will be in Victoria, Edmonton, London and Moncton between August – October. We will be announcing confirmed dates and details in the coming month.
As always, our administrative team and board are working hard behind the scenes to bring you an outstanding membership experience. If you have any feedback or ideas on how we can serve you better, do not hesitate to be in touch.
Ryan Marquis
CF National President
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Don't forget to check out the CF Member Benefits MicroSite! It can be accessed by logging into www.culinaryfederation.ca and going to the Resources/Member Benefits section.
Content and partner offers will be updated on an ongoing basis - make sure you check back regularly so you don’t miss anything!
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YOUNG CHEF OF THE MONTH
Francesca Agatep, CF Winnipeg
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Francesca Agatep was born and raised in the Philippines and migrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba when she was thirteen years old. Right after high school she attended two years of University in hopes of finding her passion but soon realized it wasn't there. She took a break from school and decided to take her first kitchen job at Save on Foods when she was 19 years old and then worked as a line cook at Joey’s where she fell in love with the rush and excitement of working in the kitchen.
She applied for the Culinary Arts program at Red River College in 2017 after realizing her passion for cooking. During her first year in school, she volunteered at different events and joined the Canadian Culinary Federation where she had the chance to network with other talented chefs and attended multiple workshops. Francesca landed her first co-op work placement at Pomeroy Kananaskis Lodge in Alberta. And later on, ventured on to different restaurants to earn different skill sets, one being a fine dining restaurant called Cedar Room/Black tail where she worked long hours and expanded her knowledge and ability. During her second year in the program, she began working part time at Black Bird Brasserie where she continued to hone her skills, learned about French cooking and even secured a job after graduation. She spent four months joining cooking competitions to further develop and learn valuable skills needed to prepare for her final year of school. She also applied for different awards and scholarships. One of the scholarships she won offered her the opportunity to go to Niagara, Ontario along with other young chefs from different regions of Canada. It was a 5-day experience consisting of learning about different types of salt, visiting wineries, distilleries, farms, restaurants around the region that helped her develop her appreciation for wine and expanded her love for travel and food.
Francesca graduated with honours in 2019 and has competed in many competitions, receiving seven awards. She is planning to complete her Red Seal this year and travel across Canada to acquire more experience and expand her knowledge in hopes of opening up her own restaurant in the future.
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CHEF OF THE MONTH -
Brent Durec, CF Okanagan
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Brent Durec is the current President of the Okanagan Chefs Association.
Brent was born and raised just outside of Vancouver but moved to the Okanagan 21 years ago with his wife and son. Since then his family has grown by two, another son and a daughter, and of course his two dogs.
Brent was lucky enough to arrive in the valley at an amazing time. The industry was at the beginning of some big change. As a young cook, Brent was given the chance to meet and cook with some pretty special and inspiring people. Working as a cook, he had opportunities at golf clubs, hotels and local restaurants - finally ending up running the culinary team for a hotel in Vernon.
Brent’s career has spanned many roles. Like most, he started with a passion for food and a love for knowledge. Starting as a prep/line cook right out of VCC, Brent found his calling. Working for many different type of establishments, golf course, resorts, fine dining, pub and hotel. Brent has gone from a prep cook, garde manger, chef de partie, sous chef , chef and now corprate chef.
After moving on from the Hotel industry, Brent changed things up a bit and joined Sysco Kelowna as a protein specialist, buyer and eventually, corporate chef. Brent has been in this role for the last 16 years, working with customers from Kelowna to Prince George. He has met so many amazing friends and people he considers family in this industry. It has been an amazing opportunity to meet local small businesses and work with many of the Okanagan's unique products.
Brent was asked to be part of the CF Okanagan Branch Board of Directors a couple of years ago, and has worked his way up to the current president of the association. Brent is excited for the future of CF Okanagan and the Culinary Federation. He is very grateful for all that have served on past and current boards.
“One thing I have always loved about the CF Okanagan is that we are a family willing to share ideas, help our community, donate time for fundraising and to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We are an association of chefs, cooks, and culinary professionals related to the hospitality industry. All are welcome.” – Brent Durec
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Please take a moment to acknowledge the passing of these chefs, and past members of the Culinary Federation ...
Chef Gary Bibby (Edmonton, AB)
Chef Paul Mastalir (Calgary, AB)
Chef Dave Kealey (Muskoka, ON)
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Click HERE for a look at the CF National Calendar template.
All Branch Presidents have now received an invitation from our new Calendar Wiz software! Please make sure to be logging in to list your branch events.
Communication about what all branches have been up to across the country has been a consistent request from membership! We want to make sure we are doing our best
to accommodate this request, as well as take advantage of the new software National has purchased for all the branches. If you did not receive your invitation, or are having
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