Culinary Programs

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Patryk Siergiej

Staging among the Michelin Stars

Patryk Siergiej got his first taste of the culinary industry while studying psychology at the University of Calgary. “Cobs Bread was opening a new location, so I applied. I didn’t really know what to expect. I had a couple of weeks training and then after maybe two or three months, I realized I liked the early hours of work, and I really liked baking bread.”

But it didn’t stop with bread. “While I was finishing my degree, I continued working at Cobs, but I wanted to see the restaurant side of the industry as well, so I got another part-time job at Moxie’s. I really enjoyed both of those jobs, and that stuck with me.”

After graduating from the U of C, Patryk set his sights first on a European vacation, and then on furthering his culinary education. The baking and cooking apprenticeship programs at SAIT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism allowed Patryk to look at his work experiences with a new lens.

“It was good to take a step back and really start from the beginning, but this time with the technical aspect of baking and cooking,” he says. “I was pretty good at what I did [before the apprenticeship programs] but I didn’t really know the science behind why we do the things we do.”

“I think you can get out as much as you want out of the SAIT apprenticeship programs,” Patryk continues. “If you just want to get your piece of paper saying you’re a journeyman, you can do that. But if you want to make good connections, if you want to learn a lot, even more than what’s in the curriculum, you can do that, too. There’s a lot of different chefs with a lot of different experiences who work at SAIT. And if you want, you can learn something new from each of them.”

Recently, Patryk finished a year-long chef position at Eleven Madison Park in New York, a three Michelin Star restaurant. Over a handful of weeks, he’ll will travel from Switzerland to Slovenia, then Germany, Luxembourg, and Portugal, staging at other Michelin Star restaurants for a few days at a time and learning everything he can from the chefs he has opportunity to work with.

For some students it may be intimidating to think of yourself working at a high-end restaurant, but Patryk points out that in most cases many of these restaurants are open to having individuals in for a trial or staging period, or as a regular employee.

“The best thing a student can do is reach out, send emails, call, or go in person, and just ask. A lot of these places hire fresh out of school, sometimes with no experience. As long as you have that mentality that you’re willing to learn, to listen, put in the hard work, and be passionate, they’ll see that.”

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Camille Bond

A passion for science and food feeds a new career.

Camille Bond longed for a career that would combine her passion for science and food. However, working as a nurse full-time didn’t allow her the flexibility to pursue these interests. Luckily, the opportunity was presented to reduce her nursing shifts to part-time and enrol in SAIT’s Butchery and Charcuterie Management certificate program, which she gladly accepted. Before coming to SAIT, Camille studied science then went on to complete an accelerated nursing program. She worked as an oncology nurse, helping with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer for over fourteen years. Through her work experience and education, she discovered that she could pair her anatomy knowledge with her love of charcuterie. What is the connection between nursing and charcuterie you might ask? Just ask Camille, “There’s quite a natural connection. Nursing anatomy helps to understand animal muscles and why certain cuts are tender and soft, what happens to an animal after harvesting, and what happens to make it become meat through fermentation.”

Being only a one-year program, Camille’s time at SAIT has flown by. When asked what sets SAIT apart, she said, “There’s a huge focus on student well-being and success. Instructors are welcoming, approachable and extremely knowledgeable in their field. The culinary program is well respected and I love telling people I go to SAIT.”

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Camille has been working around the clock. She has returned to nursing full-time to help with patient pre-screening at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, while also finishing her apprenticeship at a local charcuterie shop.

Looking to the future, Camille is excited to jump-start her new career. After graduation, she told us she plans, “To make charcuterie! I would love to produce products for my sister-in-law’s brewery selling meat platters, and one day morphing that into a business.” Working with a brewery would be an excellent fit, as Camille says she greatly enjoys pairing charcuterie with beer and experimenting with unique flavours such as cinnamon, juniper, cocoa and orange peel.

Reflecting on her time at SAIT, Camille is thankful for the opportunity to pursue a 2nd career, gain niche skills and truly feed her love for science, food and entertaining.

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Mansoor Forouzan

Changing careers: from computer programming to chef extraordinaire

A lot can change in two years – just ask Professional Cooking student Mansoor Forouzan. A few years back, he was working in the IT sector after completing a computer science program at Mount Royal University. But something didn’t feel quite right. “I don’t think I’m really good at sitting behind a desk coding all day,” explains Mansoor. “I’ve always liked cooking, having people over – good times, good vibes, good food.” This interest in the culinary sector prompted him to follow his passion and make a career change, enrolling in the Professional Cooking program at SAIT.

Asked why he chose SAIT over other institutions, Mansoor points to the School of Hospitality and Tourism’s exceptional reputation. “I heard that SAIT had the best culinary program in Canada,” he says. Mansoor also had friends already enrolled in the cooking program who told him about the instructor chefs’ vast knowledge and experience within the culinary industry. Having now completed the two-year program, Mansoor confirms that everything he heard about the program was true. “It’s very hands-on, there’s a lot of access to resources and information. It’s easy to network. SAIT has such a variety of experience, knowledge, and expertise in different areas.” He also found benefit in SAIT’s small class sizes and the opportunity this provided to develop meaningful relationships with his classmates. “I really enjoyed my time at SAIT. It felt like a community, everybody helping each other out,” he says, “and that’s what it should be.”

Looking to the future, Mansoor hopes to launch his own business, perhaps starting with a food stall at a farmers’ market but hopefully growing to something larger one day. Reflecting on how the Professional Cooking program prepared him for a successful career, he says that while the program wasn’t easy, for those willing to put in the effort, there are dedicated instructors willing to help you succeed. “There’s a lot of knowledge and experience to go around, and I’m thankful that there were a lot of people who were willing to help me out – I definitely made a great choice with SAIT.”