Okanagan College (OC) culinary students reeled in a big one on Friday with a massive donation.
In a March 14 press release, the college announced that it had quite the catch on its hands with the arrival of a whopping 2,000 pounds of Arctic char for OC's culinary school thanks to a generous donation from Road 17 Fish Farms. The char will provide the students with hands-on lessons in large-scale food preparations.
OC student chefs processed and vacuum-sealed the fish before they were delivered to the 麻豆精选 Gospel Mission, which had contacted the college to see if they would be interested in preparing the fish. Road 17 Fish Farms had originally reached out to the mission to facilitate the donation.
鈥淗aving the students process the fish isn't just for the halibut,鈥� joked OC executive chef Ruth Wigman. 鈥淭he student chefs are gaining hands-on skills that they will use in their work placements and when they graduate and join the industry, [and] being able to efficiently process a large quantity of fish is a valuable skill for any chef.鈥�
The college provides work experience opportunities for its students by working with partners across the Okanagan Valley and is always willing to support people who are in need in the community, as the 麻豆精选 Gospel Mission will use the char to prepare nutritious meals for people who need them.
"We are grateful for the student chefs' help in the filleting of the fish," said Jeremy Luypen, food service manager at the 麻豆精选 Gospel Mission. "As a former culinary arts alumni and instructor at OC, it was great to see the students get behind this and want to learn fish butchery on a large scale."
OC culinary students also work at the college's Infusion Restaurant under the guidance of Red Seal chefs.
