Centennial College's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts has become the first academic institution to receive Feast On® certification for its sourcing of local food and beverage products used in the academic programs, as well as purchased for the school's experiential-learning foodservice operations. Feast On is a certification program established by the Culinary Tourism Alliance that recognizes businesses committed to sourcing Ontario grown and produced food and drink.
"Using local food and beverage products is an essential part of the DNA of our school," says Suzanne Caskie, Chair of Culinary Arts at Centennial College. "Where we source our food and how we educate our students about the value of supporting local producers reflect our mission of bringing social values into our curriculum as we prepare our graduates to be true leaders in the industry."
"Feast On has been a very successful foodservice certification identifying businesses as committed to Ontario producers as we are," says Rebecca Mackenzie, President and CEO, Culinary Tourism Alliance. "We worked alongside Centennial to support their goal of achieving the Feast On certification for their whole school food procurement. We hope other hospitality and culinary schools will set their local food and beverage sourcing goals as high, so we can continue to add educational institutions to our list of local food champions."
Diners will be able to experience Feast On at The Local Cafe and Restaurant, the school's 7 days/week dual cafe and restaurant concept located at Centennial's Progress Campus. The Local is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday, and for brunch on the weekends.
"We will be participating in as many Feast On program benefits as possible through The Local so that our community can enjoy Ontario's bounty in our restaurant," says Caskie. "Our students will have ample opportunities to turn these products into amazing food experiences."
Feast On certification is yet another reason for prospective students to choose Centennial's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, which boasts a striking, new 350,000-square-foot teaching facility incorporating eight classrooms, three culinary arts labs, two baking and pastry arts labs and a beverage-tasting room. The school operates an experiential learning ecosystem comprised of four unique components: a 90-seat restaurant, a quick-service cafe, an Event Centre and hotel-style guest rooms.
As experts in food tourism development, the Culinary Tourism Alliance seeks to ensure that authentic food experiences become a significant economic driver for communities across Ontario, and a primary way for travelers to enrich their experience. Along with its member destinations, the Alliance is creating fruitful relationships in communities across the province – from the farm up – with innovative programs like Feast On. On a global level, the Culinary Tourism Alliance is leading efforts in research, education and product development to promote the growth of the industry.