News Stories
VIU students showcase innovative seafood creations during Urchin Tank
November 20, 2023
What: Urchin Tank – Seaweed Challenge When: Friday, November 24, 5 to 7:30 pm Where: VIU’s Malaspina Theatre (Building 310), Nanaimo campus Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Urchin Tank is back this fall with five new student teams competing to see who has created the best fermented seaweed product. Urchin Tank is a Dragons’ Den-style show where students pitch their products to a panel of... Read more
Alum of the Month: Lee Cooper
June 18, 2023
French-inspired and set in a 19th century brick-and-beam building, L’Abattoir sprouted up among the cobblestones of Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood more than a decade ago. The restaurant’s executive chef and owner is Lee Cooper, who graduated from VIU’s Culinary Arts program in 1997. The restaurant’s most recent accomplishment is making the Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list this year. The... Read more
VIU Culinary Instructor receives gold certification in Japanese cooking
March 2, 2023
Only a small number of chefs worldwide have this particular designation. VIU Culinary Arts Instructor Avi Sternberg is joining a small number of chefs from around the world who have successfully navigated a rigorous certification process to get his skills in Japanese cooking recognized. Sternberg was recently awarded the gold certificate in the Certification of Cooking Skills for Japanese Cuisine... Read more
VIU restaurant featured as participant during inaugural Dine Out Nanaimo food festival
January 13, 2023
What: Dine Out Nanaimo Festival, featuring VIU’s Discovery Room When: January 20 to February 5, 2023 Where: The Discovery Room full-service learning restaurant at VIU Nanaimo, BC: The Discovery Room at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will be featured as a participant during the inaugural, multi-day food festival known as Dine Out Nanaimo. Taking place from January 20 to February 5, the... Read more
Vancouver Island University launches new Japanese cooking skills certification
November 4, 2022
VIU is the only Canadian institution offering the specialized certification, which will be embedded into existing Red Seal culinary programs. Avi Sternberg still remembers the moment he entered a Japanese restaurant 20 years ago and was “awestruck by the movements” of the sushi chef working inside at the time. “It was almost like a dance,” said the VIU Culinary Arts instructor. Now, Sternberg is... Read more
VIU Culinary Arts program in qathet region finds recipe for success
October 13, 2022
The Birch Tree Café and Bistro gives culinary students hands-on training in a real restaurant. After years of serving culinary creations at Brooks Secondary School, a move into a new space is proving to be a successful transition for Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) tiwšɛmawtxʷ (Powell River) campus Culinary Arts program. The program moved to a new training facility and permanent restaurant... Read more
Culinary Teams from Across Canada Coming to VIU to Prepare for Global Competition
April 6, 2022
Members of the Junior Culinary Olympic Team Canada and Team BC are hosting a reception and banquet-style dinner event. Top chefs and apprentices from around the province and across the country are coming to VIU this month as part of their continuing path to the Olympics – the Culinary Olympics to be precise. An international event that has taken place every four years since 1900 in Stuttgart,... Read more
VIU Hosts Virtual Event to Explore Careers in Trades and Applied Technology
May 6, 2021
WHAT: VIU Trades and Applied Technology Virtual Expo WHEN: Thursday, May 27, 3 – 7 pm WHERE: Online/Virtual Trades and applied technology programs at Vancouver Island University (VIU) can help students enter rewarding, high-paying careers after as little as nine months of school. Those interested in learning more about which careers may be a good fit can come to VIU’s first-ever, free Trades... Read more
VIU Baking Program Rises to the Next Level
February 9, 2021
Bakers who want to start their own specialty business or take on commercial management roles can learn the skills they need at new program being offered at VIU. Students who love baking and are ready to take the next step toward becoming a professional baker or even selling their own delicious creations can take a new diploma program starting in August 2021 at Vancouver Island University (VIU... Read more
VIU Culinary Arts Student Cooking for Gold
January 7, 2021
Ottis Crabbe has earned a spot on Junior Culinary Team Canada, which will be competing at the Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2024. The day his parents opened Abbondanza, a restaurant in Ucluelet, BC, Ottis Crabbe knew he wanted to become a chef. His path toward running his own commercial kitchen began last year when he signed up for Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Culinary Arts program... Read more