Our Staff

 

Those Who Inspire

 

John Higgins, Director of the Chef School, introduces our dedicated staff to you:

 

At The Chefs’ House, we’ve set the benchmark higher - for ourselves, and for our students. We consistently look for these qualities in our staff: passion, innovation, a commitment to excellence, and a sense of purpose. Our people work as a team and never compromise when it comes to helping our students reach exceptionally high standards. They are all deeply invested in the skills, learning and success of our students. For them, teaching is not a job - it’s a labour of love in which they instill their knowledge and passion into their students.

 

Our staff are proud professionals who have worked in the industry for years. Impressively, each of our mentoring chefs has travelled the world to ply their craft and hone their skills. Now, they are taking students out of their ‘comfort zone’!

 

Our staff observes and coaches the students, then provides constant real-time feedback on their performance. Together, they bring a valuable mix of cultures, training, talents, and backgrounds to enrich our students’ experiences. After all, learning is our main ingredient at The Chefs’ House!

 

 

We are pleased to introduce you to our “stars”:

 

Oliver Li, Chef de Cuisine

Oliver Li, with his industry savvy, international training and global experience, is a perfect mentor to our aspiring Chefs. He is a passionate and gifted teacher, and a constant source of inspiration for our students. A true professional, Oliver Li has worked in hotels and restaurants around the world. Now, Chef Li is proud to be part of the top culinary college in Canada, and is completely dedicated to student success: “We set high expectations for each of our students, as we nurture their growth to the highest professional standards, and see them reach their full potential”.

 

 

Heather Dyer, Dining Room, Catering & Event Manager

Heather joined The Chefs’ House after fulfilling leading food and beverage roles at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, and advancing their systems significantly: “To be able to take what I’ve learned in the industry for 17 years, and to inspire and mentor our students is what keeps me motivated. I love where I work!” In addition to her vast experience in management roles, Heather contributes her organizational skills and an attention to detail bar none.

 

She also takes pride in seeing our students grow in skills and confidence during their internship: “The Chefs’ House allows students to make mistakes in a real-life learning lab, so that they are industry-ready and can handle future situations with confidence”.

 

 

Riley Bennett, Chef Technologist
Chef Riley Bennett’s career began as a child growing up on his family’s Okanagan farm. His Grandmother showed him a few tricks in the kitchen, and by age 13, Riley was cooking at his family-owned restaurant! Riley is a graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Alberta. He continued his training in Calgary's Westin Hotel, followed by the Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island.
Chef Bennett then pursued his passion for local cuisine and wine as the Executive Chef at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in Kelowna (2007-2011).

 

In 2010, Chef Bennett competed in the Bocuse D’or Canada National qualifying competition, and in 2011 he completed his level two of the International Sommelier Guild program. He is thrilled to be mentoring our students at The Chefs' House!

 

 

Hemant Kanchan, Chef Technologist

Born and raised in Mumbai, Chef Kanchan has been cooking around the world for 20 years and brings a wealth of international experience to The Chefs’ House. He is very hands-on when demonstrating techniques to our students, and trains them so they can excel at the best jobs in the best restaurants. A proponent of the philosophy ‘variety is the spice of life’, Chef Hemant`s goal is to make people think about the flavours and ingredients in each dish, and to make food taste different via flavouring: “It`s all about the flavours!”

 

 

Scott McKenzie, Dining Room Technologist
With his finesse and attention to detail, Scott inspires students with his passion, attention to detail, and commitment to `remarkable experiences`! He passes so much of his knowledge on to students, and is proud to be part of a Team that is completely dedicated to providing the finest learning environment to a broad and diverse student body. Scott`s greatest goal for each student is to develop the confidence in themselves that will benefit them throughout life.

 

He believes that hospitality and food is all about love: "It should be in the intentions, the ingredients and the execution. Our industry allows us the pleasure of making a living from doing good things for people and a lifetime of learning to do it better."

 

 

David Schwingenschloegl, Dining Room Technologist
To David, working directly with students and knowing you are helping to shape the next generation of Hospitality Leaders is raw, real, and refreshing: "Watching students grow from the 1st week of orientation to the 14th and final week that we have them, their transformation is my inspiration and motivation!" His hospitality philosophy:

 

"Keep it simple, keep it fun, keep it honest. Knowledge is power: the more students know about our products and suppliers, the easier it is to speak with confidence and pride about what you are serving, and that comes through the individual personalities of each and every student."

 

 

Adrian Caravello, Sommelier, Academic Program Coordinator

Adrian’s passion is wine, food, and service, and being able to teach the next generation about all three! As a Professor and Coordinator of three programs at George Brown College – Food and Beverage, Advanced Wine and Beverage, and Food Concept Management – Adrian lets his natural enthusiasm inspire his students:  “Students can feel that and it motivates them to learn more.  I also strive to provide them with opportunities that they wouldn't normally have access to, like picking Icewine grapes in the middle of the night when it is 12 degrees below.”  Adrian engineered the joint venture between George Brown College and Stratus Winery to annually make Icewine, and has been nominated for an Excellence in Teaching award.  

 

“I also had many great mentors in my life, and I know how important that role is to create successes.”