Students at Airdrie’s W.H. Croxford High School are gearing up to be the next generation of Gordon Ramsays and Nigella Lawsons thanks to the school’s state-of-the-taste culinary course.
Instructed by Chef Duane Sovyn, the students have been learning about international cuisine. For example, Sovyn showed his Grade 11 students how to make Paella, a rice dish originating from Spain, while the chefs-in-training in Grade 12 learned about Pad Thai, a rice noodle dish originally from Thailand.
Sovyn showed them what ingredients to use, and how to prepare it properly, especially when it comes to the rice and noodles, measuring the right proportion of spices, cooking the seafood and combining them all in one pan.
It’s not as easy as it sounds, says Grade 11 student Lorenzo Moreno.
“[It’s about] trying to get the right timing because certain things have to cook at a certain time and, if it’s awful, it’s going to throw off the texture and the flavour of it,” he says, adding the lessons he has learned about working in a kitchen and the different aspects of cooking are setting him up well for his future career aspirations in the culinary industry.
“Learning it now is better than learning it later,” he says.
Salia Huynh says she likes trying dishes around the world and being able to explore different cultures where they were taught how to make them, and, “exploring things I wouldn’t probably explore out of my comfort zone.
“He [Chef Sovyn] really pushes us to try new things, even though you might not like it,” says the Grade 12 student.
Cooking skills are also helpful to acquire before she moves away to university, Huynh adds. The classes have taught her how to cook and sustain herself, so she won’t need to spend money at restaurants all the time.
Sovyn has been teaching at Croxford for 11 years and says his favourite part of the job is helping his students and being there for them.
The chef also likes to immerse his students into different cuisines, from Mexican and Japanese to Middle Eastern. “On occasion, I would cook dishes to inspire them to get to the level they need to be, and I find that my students bring their ideas [to class], like cultural food that they have eaten with their families, and they share it with me, or they would like to cook [it] better,” he says.
“I love the diverse flavours of the world, and I love living in Canada. When you live in one country, you tend to get one flavour palette, whereas Canada is more like a melting pot, which allows you to experience different flavours.”
Sovyn’s interest in cooking dates back to his own teens, recalling how. when he was in Grade 10, his father told him to get a real job and not be a cook, but that didn’t stop Sovyn pursuing what he loves the most. He graduated as a culinary arts student from SAIT back in 2004.
Grade 12 student Greatfullness Adeleye has been enjoying Sovyn’s culinary classes since she started them three years ago and says she likes the fun and complexity of the work, while also understanding that there’s more to food than burgers and fries.
“It’s like setting me up for a future where I could just not eat junk foods, but rather eat something healthy,” she says.
