Talent & passion fuel VIU’s culinary program

What are you doing this fall?

Are you looking to take your culinary career to new heights right here in Powell River? The Culinary Arts certificate program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is the only local program that can take you from the novice level to a fully certified cook in the span of just one year.

This internationally recognized certification is helmed by Chef Avi Sternberg, who spent eight years training in Japanese traditional fine dining – even earning a license to prepare poisonous blowfish – and ran a restaurant in the heart of Saigon, Vietnam, before bringing his expertise here to the Canadian coast to share with students in Powell River.

LEARN FROM THE BEST: Sure, Chef Avi Sternberg will teach you culinary skills, but unique to VIU, his own international career inspires his students to think bigger and aspire higher.

Local foodies pursuing high-demand careers in Powell River’s burgeoning dining scene and beyond enjoy hands-on, real-world experience in state-ofthe-art kitchens and labs, and build industry contacts while availing themselves of a broad range of unique opportunities.

Chef Sternberg’s students have thrived under his mentorship and through the program’s paid co-op, offer sold-out sumptuous and elegantly plated dinners paired with Townsite beer, 40 Knots wine, and Shelter Point Distillery whiskey.

Students in the past have learned meat cutting and sausage making with Sechelt’s Noble Fine Meats, toured Comox Valley Mushrooms, learned about regional food systems with local farms and foragers, and catered the PRISMA banquet for over 200 guests.

PRISMA Festival Director of Marketing and Development, Andy Rice, stated that “the delicious food they created each day, combined with the positive environment they fostered both in and out of the kitchen, was a major highlight of the PRISMA experience for our 75 students, 23 guest artists and dozens of staff, contractors and volunteers – all coming together from over 20 different countries.”

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has also partnered with the VIU Culinary Arts program in the past, and Fairmont staff “have been very impressed with the talent and passion of these students,” says the Fairmont’s Sabine Bell. “We are in this for the long haul.”

VIU has also been “a tremendous asset to us,” says Warren Barr, Executive Chef of Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn. “Their students have a strong work ethic and are trained in such a way that they pick up whatever responsibilities are put in front of them quickly.”

For more information about the Culinary Arts Certificate at VIU Powell River, check out the website: viu.ca/programs/trades-applied-technology/ culinary-arts

For information about registration, call 604-485-2878. Sponsored content.