High school and college students gain unique learning experience while hosting community event

Whitby, Ont. – It was a food frenzy at Durham College’s (DC) W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF) on April 8 as the college hosted its third annual Epic Mac N’ Cheese competition and Pop-up Bake Shops.

The event kicked off with eight teams of Grade 11 and 12 students whipping up an array of creative concoctions based on the classic comfort food of macaroni and cheese. Competitors’ family and friends, along with other community members, gathered to cheer teams on, taste test recipes and vote for their favourite dishes.

Among the many unbelievably cheesy dishes, one prevailed as the cheesiest.

The winning recipe belonged to Katelyn Gadajar and Griffin VanWinden, students at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby, and featured a combination of goat cheese, Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and garlic over an exquisite cream-based sauce.

“I had a lot of fun, and the experience was great especially considering I am going to be attending DC for the Culinary Management program in the fall,” said VanWinden. “Being able to work alongside a DC mentor was really awesome, and it felt good to win as it gave me a lot more confidence in what I do and solidified my decision for my future career.”

Second place was awarded to Josh Simpson and Emma Whittington from St. Peter Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough, and third place went to Kacey Payne and Bailey Agnew from Henry Street High School in Whitby.

The money raised from event ticket sales will be added to a bursary fund that helps support students pursuing a career in culinary arts, hospitality or special events planning at DC. All students who participated in the competition are eligible to apply for the bursary if accepted into a CFF program. 

As the high school students were busy cooking culinary masterpieces, students from DC’s Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts graduate certificate program brought their year-long capstone projects to life in a series of Pop-up Bake Shops. After months of preparation, the students competed for the honour of top shop as they sold an array of artisan breads, confections and preserves to members of the community under their own unique brands.

“It’s awesome and really fun,” said Caitlin Lounsberry, an Advanced Baking and Pastry Arts student who had been looking forward to this day all semester. “Part of the goal is to break-even on the cost of creating our company, but it’s really not about the money – it’s about the food.”

Lounsberry’s team, Creative Café and Confectionary, based their theme around treats traditionally found in a coffee shop, stocking their booth with coffee-flavoured pastries, candies and chocolate baked goods. The team came up with the idea during their entrepreneurship class where students had the opportunity to develop their own company, and were responsible for product development, marketing, budgeting, ordering, packaging and any other business decisions related to the event day. Other teams included The Butterstick, Sensible Creations and Classy Bees.

“The Epic Mac N’ Cheese competition and Pop-up Bake Shop events truly support experiential learning at both a secondary and post-secondary level,” said Peter Lee, professor and co-ordinator of DC’s culinary programs. “These opportunities are essential in helping students to take their learning beyond the classroom and develop practical skills in state-of-the-art facilities.”

Tanya Heck, pastry chef and DC professor added that, “It’s also a great way for them to connect with the community and gain constructive feedback from real customers, while local families can enjoy a fun-filled day. It truly is a big win for everyone involved.” 

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About Durham College

At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first. With campuses in Oshawa and Whitby and a learning site in Pickering, the college offers more than 11,111 full-time post-secondary and apprenticeship students access to more than 140 full-time and eight apprenticeship programs in a number of different disciplines, enabling them to develop the skills required to meet the demands of today’s job market.

The Oshawa campus features the state-of-the art Student Services building and the college has recently broken ground on the Centre for Collaborative Education, a legacy project tied to DC’s 50th anniversary in 2017. The new facility will bring together local, Indigenous and global communities, providing a new home for several of the college’s most innovative and ground-breaking programs.

The Whitby campus features the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, which includes Bistro ’67, a full-service, teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a retail store featuring food prepared by students in the college’s culinary programs.

For more information, visit www.durhamcollege.ca or call 905.721.2000.

Media contact:
Krista Luxton
Communications and Marketing
905.721.2000 ext. 6233
krista.luxton@durhamcollege.ca