CONGRATS LADIES!
Les Dames d’Escoffier BC Chapter (LDEI BC) recognized the wealth of talent in the local culinary industry when they awarded eleven scholarships at
their annual Induction and Scholarship Dinner last week held at Boneta Restaurant in Vancouver.

Dalana Fleming will be pursuing education at Bonnie Gordon School of Cakes Decorating and Design in Toronto. Lana says the foundation for her love of baking came from her mother and intends to take her interest from hobby to career.

Sukhminder Banwait will use the scholarship to help with her tuition for the culinary arts program at VCC. Her past experience as an events planner and at Provence Marinaside has made her realise she would now like to pursue a culinary career.

Caitlin Neary will be attending the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, one of the leading hospitality schools in Switzerland. Caitlin is very excited to pursue a four year bachelor degree in International Hospitality Management.

Fumiko Moreton, a graduate of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, will continue her pastry education at the Notter School of Pastry Arts. She has competed at the top level in many dessert & pastry competitions and looks forward to studying under award-winning chef Notter as she continues to hone her skills.

Robyn Sigurdson, inspired by the Okanagan Valley, Robyn will continue her wine education in the WSET foundation and intermediate courses. While she started her career in the culinary arts, Robyn has decided to expand her wine knowledge to round out her understanding in this field.

Suzannah Ngo will continue her education in pastry at the Notter School of Pastry Arts. A bouquet of sugar flowers spiked her curiosity and led to night classes in cake decorating but after graduating from UBC and working as a valuation accountant she realized she wanted to pursue pastry professionally.

Kami Rob will be continuing her education with WSET. Currently running her own business called Wine Pixie Cellar Management and Consulting Services, Kami helps design proper wine lists, cellar management, and inventory techniques as well as wine education for individuals. Focused on the environment Kami is also working on developing non-profit organization which will minimise the environmental impact of the wine industry. Kami is a recipient of the Mission Hill Family Estate scholarship.

Melissa Owen is a graduate of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts and is in love with cakes! She will be continuing her education in pastry at a course with Colette Peters in Gum Paste and Fondant. Melissa currently lives in Nelson and has her own business, called Epiphany Cakes and specializes in organic cakes and desserts.

Martha McAvity has several years of food and beverage experience and is currently working at the Vancouver Club assisting with their wine program. She will continue her studies in the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and the International Sommelier Guild. Martha is a recipient of the Mission Hill Family Estate scholarship.

Luzia Zemp has had a successful career as a pastry chef, pasty instructor and in designing patisserie programs for post secondary institutions in Northern BC. While designing these programs for students, of whom the majority are aboriginal; Luzia realized how unfamiliar she was with their culture. She will use her Les Dames scholarship to focus the research of her Masters program at SFU towards post secondary education for Aboriginal learners.

Caitlin Mayo has competed in 6 pastry competitions in the last three years and has placed in the top 3 on all occasions. She will be using her scholarship from les Dames d’Escoffier to help fund her training for the Pastry/Confectioner category at the World Skills Competition in September 2009. She will be representing Canada in this apprenticeship competition and once it is over Caitlin intends to open her own pastry shop in Langley.

Les Dames d’Escoffier is an association of professional women devoted to promoting the understanding, appreciation and knowledge of food, wine and the arts of the table. We also supply advice and scholarship assistance to women as they pursue careers in food, wine, hospitality, nutrition, food technology or other related areas. Awards are based on merit and ability and vary in amount according to the program they support.