I H.A.V.E a fresh perspective…
I had always wondered when I drove past Oppenheimer Park what the big Culinary Institute sign on the front of one of the building was. It seemed so out of place to me that I thought maybe it had formerly been a cooking school but had uprooted to a new location. A location that better suited the sophistication that culinary artistry truly is. I say this because I think people often connect Culinary Arts with high-end restaurants and foods that are unpronounceable on a menu. A connection that leads to a sad misconception of the history of food, the passion of a chef, and the common ground that all chefs share no matter where they work or how successful they have become. At the grass roots of being a chef is a passion, desire and love of cooking that transcends all boundaries of class and race. A chef can rise from anywhere, from the downtown eastside of Vancouver, to the kid in University who throws away his degree because his heart is begging him to cook and create. So having thought about it, the Culinary Training Society sign by Oppenheimer Park is exactly where it should be…a place where anyone who loves to cook and create food belongs.
In the book ‘The Last Chinese Chef’ by Nicole Mones she describes Chinese food history. For the early chefs there was no social status or class that barred one from becoming a great chef and rising from nothing to notoriety and fame. Chefs were highly respected, as the act of eating food in China was more that shoving food in your mouth. Food was intertwined with poetry, music, and involved all the senses. One could learn the technical skills to make food but not everyone could cook in a way that created a transcendent experience to the diner.
When I walked through the doors of the Culinary Training Society I discovered another world behind the sign. This building hosts the H.A.V.E Café. The acronym stands for ‘Hope Action Values and Ethics’. The mission of the program is “to develop a program that will train “employment barriered” people from the downtown eastside and surrounding neighborhoods, and to place them in entry level jobs in restaurant kitchens of the BC Restaurant and Food Association”. The atmosphere of the place is professional but there is also a sense of caring and community.
I asked if I could interview someone who is in the program and how it has affected them. I was then introduced to Jackie who is in her 4th week of an 8 week program. Sitting across the table from me was a very wise and passionate trainee who shared with me some of her story.
Jackie is a survivor of the residential schools that displaced thousands of aboriginal children from 1920-1996. The last 3 years of her life were spent on the downtown eastside drug addicted and having lost everything. The day that changed her life was when she went to a job fair at the corner of Hastings and Main. She met Chef Glen who was fully clad in his chef uniform and the idea of being a chef stirred long lost dreams of cooking professionally in a kitchen. Up until this point she had been a dishwasher in many restaurants in Vancouver but never promoted beyond that. She wanted a fresh start to her life now and took the first steps to that by joining the program
During our conversation it was so evident that this was a woman with a passion to cook. She was glowing as she talked about cooking and food. When I asked what H.A.V.E meant to her she responded with “it has changed my life”. The 4 weeks spent there has already boosted her self-confidence and she hopes eventually to be at the end of a prep line. During the end of our conversation she said something that I will remember every time I cook. “Everything you cook needs TLC. Cooking comes out of love. If you are angry when you are cooking the food doesn’t turn out right. I have learned to leave all the anger over my life to God, only he can truly take care of it”. And this is no angry woman, rather compassionate, wise, and talented.
One name also came up during my conversation with Jackie and that name was Amber Anderson. A woman who is truly respected and loved at the school. Amber has spent 30 years in the food business of Vancouver and now runs the Culinary Institute. During our conversation she teared up a few times just talking about her commitment and care of all her trainees.
The program this talented chef runs is an 8 week course that covers all of the cooking basics such as soups, stocks, cold line, hot line and Food Safe to name a few. She is also partnered with ‘The BC Restaurant Association’ and is a member of the BC Chef Association. This program is fully funded so every potential trainee has a full scholarship. She said to me “its tough out there (the down town east side), they come in having been beaten down. Before I even start to teach them to cook I begin to build them back up. To let them know they are loved and have value”. The feeling of community in this place is palpable.
When a trainee has completed the program they are provided with all the basics to be successful as they begin to work in the restaurant world. They receive the following
- A new uniform
- 2 knives (a paring knife and a French knife).
- Food Safe Certification is given at no charge to the students.
- Students receive bus tickets to and from the venue, breakfast and lunch, uniforms, tools and a $100 honorarium per student on successful completion of the training.
- Graduates are given jobs in the restaurant kitchens of the members of the BC Restaurant and Food Association, subject to a probationary period.
I asked Amber how we could support H.A.V.E best. She gave me some options.
1) Anyone can financially sponsor a student.
2) They are in need of equipment.
3) A cash donation.
4) Small wares that are required in the kitchen.
I also asked her what is on her wish list, she hesitated for a moment and then said “a dishwasher”. The one they have now is continually breaking down. An industrial dishwasher is anywhere between $5000.00-$9000.00. With more support this is a feasible goal. Contact Stephanie for donation options at stephanieorr@shaw.ca.
I tried to get some recipes out of Jackie and she said no one knew the secret to her fabulous spaghetti sauce. If she told me she would have to kill me. She did however share how she makes garlic bread.
Bannock Garlic Bread
Make the bannock
Sauté some minced garlic and then add to real butter
Grate some cheese (whatever kind you have)
Mix the butter, garlic and cheese into the bannock dough
Shape dough into buns or any shape you want
Bake in the oven until they are golden brown
The H.A.V.E café is open every weekday from 8:30-2:00. I had a wonderful Cobb salad and all of the ingredients they use are FRESH. I also tried a breakfast dish. Yum. Next time you are in the area, try the H.A.V.E Café.
7 Responses to “I H.A.V.E a fresh perspective…”
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great article BJ. There was the same kind of cafe in west broadway years ago. They would train young teenagers. But with lack of funding the cafe closed. It is a shamed really and I wish more restaurant could employ them and trust this kind of association. Unfortunately because of the history/drug related bla bla, fine restaurant don’t have the time to invest in these people. It ’s really a shame. I will try to speak to S about it…and see what he can do on his end…
Hello Gigi,
Amber Anderson ran that program too. She was telling me about it when we talked. Such a great concept and it really makes a difference!
Well done, B.J. I have eaten there often, the food is great and the intent even greater! Rosalyn is actually thinking of enrolling there!
wow…great wisdom jackie:
“Everything you cook needs TLC. Cooking comes out of love. If you are angry when you are cooking the food doesn’t turn out right. I have learned to leave all the anger over my life to God, only he can truly take care of it”.
What a wonderful article! Thank you
Amber Anderson
Hi Billie-Jean, We are currently writing an ariticle for the BC Restaurant News regarding the HAVE program, and am wondering if we could reprint parts of your wonderful article with permission and credit?
thanks
Of course….Let me know when you print it. I am so happy to help!