Culinary club puts student skills to the test in Guelph

Members of the Kitchen Brigades club at St. James Catholic High School in Guelph put their cooking skills to the test at a multicultural fair on Friday.

About 20 students are members of the after school club that meets every week and they learn different styles and techniques from a professional chef. The program originated in Quebec, aimed at inspiring youth to learn more skills in the kitchen.

"It's been fantastic,” said Sam Fuda, the kitchen instructor for the Kitchen Brigades program. “We've had a good experience with teaching all these guys how to cook, show them skills, things they've never seen or learned before. They get to taste of things."

"I strongly believe in students knowing how to cook by the time they leave high school, at least having that base," added hospitality teacher Alicja Reynolds.

Fuda actually attended St. James Catholic High School about 10 years ago and was one of Reynolds’ students. Now he owns a catering company, Merchant of Happiness, and is also the restaurant coordinator for the Sleeman Centre in Guelph.

"There is a whole bunch of cool programs that I was able take part of when I was here and [it] definitely helped me with my cooking career. But this is definitely something that I wish I had when I was here," Fuda said.

Sam Fuda prepares meatballs at St. James Catholic High School in Guelph on March 8, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

The students in the program range from Grades 9 to 12.

Ethan Vince, one of the Grade 12 students, said he doesn’t want to pursue a career as a chef but has learned some valuable skills from the program.

"I want to learn how to cook. I'm going to be on my own someday and I don't want to be relying on McDonald's," he said. "I’ve noticed my cutting skills have increased a lot.”

Ethan Vince prepares deep fried bananas at St. James Catholic High School in Guelph. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

Jordyn Sorbara, one of the Grade 11 students, said she cooks for her family every night and has learned new ways to do it.

"I don't use frozen meals anymore. I make them from scratch," she explained.

The school doesn’t offer culinary classes until Grade 10, so many of the students in the club aren’t currently enrolled in culinary classes.

On Friday, the club broke into groups and chose a dish to create, each from a different country: Norway, Japan, Philippines or India. The meals were then given a taste test by their peers.

A Norwegian dish being prepared at St. James Catholic High School in Guelph on March 8, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)

The dish from India ended up with the most votes.

Beyond Friday’s competition, the club is planning to send some of its members to a local Kitchen Brigades competition in April. The winner of that will then go on to compete in Quebec followed by the world finals in Paris, France.