Four standout students ended their term $1,000 richer as the latest recipients of the Benchmark Student Experience Scholarship.

Established to celebrate students within the Culinary, Tourism, and Beverage Studies division who bring more to the table than just academic excellence. The Fall term scholarship recipients were chosen for their leadership, teamwork, and tireless dedication to Benchmark restaurant and various charitable initiatives.

Student recipients presented with their awards in December, included front-of-house servers Madeline Rekker and Christian Sun (School of Hospitality and Tourism), and back-of-house culinary students Andrea Bolanos and Jonathan James (School of Culinary Arts).

Jonathan James (Htet Aung Shine) was among recent scholarship recipients from the School of Culinary Arts.

“Each term, our management team nominates outstanding students for their commitment, professionalism, and passion for the hospitality industry,” said Victor Oliveira, Manager of Catering and Special Events. “Their demonstrated leadership, teamwork, and dedication to excellence were key factors in their selection. They participated in many different event services, worked hard, learned quickly, and had a positive impact on their peers.”

For Christian Sun, a second-year Tourism Management – Business Development (Co-op) student from the Philippines, the scholarship was the icing on the cake after a rigorous year.

“Benchmark gave me a strong foundation,” said Sun. “In the classroom, we learn the theory, but the restaurant is where we turn up the heat. We were encouraged to see mistakes as part of the process–every guest interaction was a chance to sharpen my skills.”

Sun, who plans to use his Benchmark experience as a North Star for his future career, noted that the financial boost was particularly helpful as an international student. “The real value is the learning; the scholarship is a wonderful bonus.”

The award came as a surprise to Jonathan James as he completed his studies in the Culinary Management (Co-op) program. Originally from Myanmar, James arrived at NC with a dream of one day running his own kitchen.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” said James. “Working at Benchmark, I have learned not only how to work on a line in the kitchen, I had so many experiences running big events which has given me way more experience, information and helped develop my skills.”

Now working as a line cook and supervisor, he noted that his experience at Benchmark provided the seasoning needed to help launch his career.
“It was great working with Benchmark as a student. I learned a lot of lessons from Chef Justin {Downes] and Chef Anthony [Greco].”

Scholarship recipient Andrea Bolanos (middle) was among a team of staff from the School of Culinary Arts bring their skills to the table to support a pancake breakfast which raised funds for Gillian’s Place. in November (file photo).

Student Experience Scholarship Fund

The scholarship is supported by NC’s Student Experience Scholarship Fund, which launched in late 2024.

“Financially supporting students is always top of mind for us here at the College. The financial obligations that students face today continue to get tougher and finding ways to help is important,” says Craig Youdale, Dean of the Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies division, after the scholarship fund was launched in November 2023. “Our division has so many events and community activities, and we want to encourage our students to get involved and enrich their time at Niagara College. We hope this funding will get even more students involved and a part of the amazing opportunities for the students.”

How to donate

In lieu of leaving a gratuity for service at Benchmark or for a special event hosted by the College’s Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies division, guests are encouraged to donate to the Student Experience Scholarship Fund. Donations can be made by scanning a QR code displayed on menus or through the online donation form.

Four students capped off 2025 as winners of the Benchmark Student Experience Scholarship.

This article is part of a seven-part series celebrating Niagara College’s Alumni of Excellence — the highest honour bestowed upon NC alumni. The series features outstanding graduates who were also nominees for the 2025 Ontario Premier’s Awards. Winnie Muchuba (General Arts & Science – Enhanced Language Training for Employment, 2018) was recognized in the Francophone Outreach category.

Winnie Muchuba’s personal journey and lived experiences have been the driving force behind her passion for helping newcomers settle and feel safe in their communities. The mother of seven, who escaped civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2013, uses her experience as a refugee to help Francophones and other newcomers access the resources they need to rebuild their lives in Canada.

Muchuba fled the DRC with her six young children following the assassination of her political activist husband. After initially seeking safety in Uganda, where she was later discovered and targeted, she made the painful decision to place her children in an orphanage in Kenya, allowing her to travel alone to Canada and secure refuge for them. Her seventh child was born several months after she arrived.

Despite holding multiple university degrees in international humanitarian law, human rights, rural development and social organization, and economics from the DRC, Muchuba knew that arriving in Canada meant starting over again. She sought volunteer opportunities that drew on her training and lived experience, working on fundraising campaigns for Syrian refugees and for Romero House, the settlement centre where she first lived in Toronto. When she and her children reunited and relocated to Welland in 2016, she discovered that being fluent in French enabled her to work as an interpreter for the local Francophone community.

In 2017, Muchuba completed an Ontario college English Language Training for Employment certificate at NC, strengthening her volunteer work at the Community Health Centre of Welland/Centre de santé communautaire de Welland (HCW/CSCW). There, she continues to serve as an interpreter for clients accessing legal help and other essential services, while also supporting community programming as a volunteer facilitator.

She credits Niagara College’s welcoming and diverse environment for helping her feel supported as she settled into life in Canada. Through the Enhanced Language Training for Employment program, she improved her English skills and gained practical knowledge of Canadian workplace culture, communication, and citizenship. The program’s focus on inclusivity and practical skills helped her quickly adapt and gain confidence.

“The training at Niagara College helped me understand who I am, and who I can become,” she said.

Her humanitarian background and experience living through conflict later led her to volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) in 2019. When CRC deployed a crisis team to Kashechewan First Nation in Northern Ontario during a severe COVID-19 outbreak, Muchuba bravely set aside her own trauma and asked to join the mission. Today, she continues to volunteer with CRC as an Emergency Responder Volunteer with the Emergency Response Team in Ottawa, and as a Disaster Management Safety and Wellbeing Responder for the Southwest Ontario region. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Entité2, which advocates for access to French-language health services in the Golden Horseshoe.

Muchuba has spent the past decade giving back to her community, using her bilingualism, cultural knowledge, and humanitarian training to help newcomers navigate life in a new country and overcome language barriers. Deeply empathetic to the isolation and confusion many newcomers face, she has pursued volunteer opportunities wherever she has lived, supporting others in ways she wished had been available when she was rebuilding her own life in Canada. Her work was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when outreach played a key role in infection prevention and community safety.

Muchuba says that her time at NC was one of the first place she felt safe after arriving in Canada.

“What is most important is how I’m giving back to this community that, when I came vulnerable, took me as I am,” she said. “They said, ‘You are safe here.’ That is something I am so grateful for.”

Reflecting on her Alumni of Excellence recognition, Muchuba shared: “This honour means a lot to me as it brings great memories to be grateful and honour back all institutions–Canada, Niagara College, Romero House, Entité2, churches. You held my hand when I could not hold myself together, and it gives me a great sense of achievement in my life.”

This December 2, Niagara College calls on its community to turn generosity into opportunity.

As the holiday season approaches, NC aims to raise $25,000 for the Nourishing Minds Fund, a vital initiative dedicated to supporting NC students battling food insecurity.

The Nourishing Minds Fund, administered by the NC Student Administrative Council (NCSAC), provides a year-round lifeline to students in need through emergency digital grocery cards. It is also the driving force behind the on-campus Rise and Shine breakfast program, ensuring students start their day ready for success.

Every dollar donated to the Nourishing Minds Fund directly impacts a student’s life, supporting a warm breakfast, a grocery gift card, or essential hygiene products for students in need.

Give a gift to support Nourishing Minds on Giving Tuesday here.

The need

NCSAC President Hish Clifford highlights that, for many, the path to education is paved with difficult financial choices. He was honoured that Nourishing Minds was chosen as NC’s beneficiary for Giving Tuesday 2025, ensuring all funds raised are fully directed toward combating food insecurity.

“Life outside of the classroom, and the walls of Niagara College, is difficult in so many ways for post-secondary students in today’s world. Having to combat the increasing cost of living challenges, rent increases, etc.,” said Clifford.

“For most students, they’re able to navigate those challenges. For some, though, the roadblocks are simply wider than others. That is where Nourishing Minds comes in.

“Whether it’s a free breakfast to help students start their day or a grocery gift card, NCSAC and the Nourishing Minds fund want to ensure that students are going to class with a full stomach. The only thing they should have to worry about is conquering their educational goals!”

The statistics from this year paint a clear picture of the need. Between January and November alone:
• $16,050 has been distributed in Nourishing Mind Gift Cards;
• 209 individual cards have been issued to students in crisis; and
• 25,000 breakfasts have been served through the Rise and Shine program, which runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at both the Welland and Daniel J. Patterson campuses (excluding summer months).

Nourishing futures

Giving Tuesday is a global movement dedicated to celebrating generosity, serving as a heartwarming counterpoint to the commercialism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

For 2025, NC has set a goal of raising $25,000 to restock the pantry of the Nourishing Minds Fund.
Since 2020, the community has rallied to raise more than $80,000 for the cause. This year, NC’s Development team hopes to push that cumulative total to a monumental $100,000.

“With support from our NC College community, we can reach our $100k milestone this year,” said Development Officer Emily O’Connor. “Please consider a gift that will not only nourish the minds of our students, but their futures.”

Community support in action

Volunteers from FirstOntario will return to dish out support for the Rise & Shine breakfast program on Giving Tuesday (file photo: 2024).

FirstOntario Credit Union continues to be a steadfast partner in feeding student success. Following a generous contribution in 2024, they have pledged another $12,500 donation for Nourishing Minds on Giving Tuesday 2025.

Beyond financial support, the FirstOntario team is getting hands-on. A group of volunteers will spend the morning of December 2 serving breakfast to students at the Rise & Shine program in Welland.
“Food insecurity continues to be a growing concern across our communities, and students are among the most vulnerable. Access to healthy, nutritious food helps fuel learning and success, which is why FirstOntario is proud to contribute $12,500 to Niagara College’s Giving Tuesday campaign,” said Joanne Battaglia, senior vice-president, Marketing, Communications and Community Partnerships.

“In addition to financial support, our Blue Wave volunteers are excited to join the Rise and Shine breakfast again this year. We believe in coming together to make a difference, and we hope other community-minded organizations will join us in supporting this important initiative.”

How to donate

The NC community can help provide the ingredients for a student’s success by donating to the Giving Tuesday campaign.

Donate with a one-time, monthly or annual gift by visiting wcsvpw3web02.niagaracollege.ca/NiagaraDonationForm/.

For more details visit NC’s Giving Tuesday web page at donate.niagaracollege.ca/givingtuesday/.

NC alumni: Give for a chance to win

Members of NC’s alumni community who donate on Giving Tuesday will be entered for a chance to win a culinary experience: lunch for two at Benchmark Restaurant.

The winner will enjoy a five-course menu prepared by students in the School of Culinary Arts at the Final Exam Lunch event on Friday, Dec. 12 (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

About Nourishing Minds

Launched in 2015, NC’s Nourishing Minds Fund is the recipe for student resilience, featuring the Emergency Gift Card and Rise and Shine Breakfast programs.

The Emergency Gift Card program supports students experiencing food insecurity who require emergency funding while attending NC.

The Rise and Shine Breakfast program offers a free “grab and go” breakfast every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the Welland Campus (in front of The Core) and the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake (outside the NCSAC office), excluding summer months.

Visit yourncsac.ca/nourishingminds for info.

Returning to Niagara College to headline a sold-out dinner event will be a “full circle moment” for Chef Vish Mayekar – a true testament to his journey from student to rising culinary star.

The 33-year-old Culinary Management (Co-op) alumnus, now the Executive Chef and owner of Vancouver’s highly acclaimed ELEM restaurant, is taking his place in the spotlight for NC’s Chef Signature Series on the evening of Nov. 13. ELEM recently earned a recommendation from the prestigious Michelin Guide, making Mayekar a prime example of professional success.

“It’s like returning home to cook with family,” said Mayekar. “I remember being so excited to help chefs at these events and learning so much from it – so this one is truly special.”

Beyond bringing his signature creations to Benchmark for the event, Mayekar will also dish out advice and share his experience with current students. In the days preceding the dinner, he’ll visit classes within the School of Culinary Arts and work side-by-side with students in the Benchmark kitchen to prep for the big night.

He looks back fondly on his time at NC when he volunteered to help visiting chefs in the kitchen.

“I remember being a part of various dinner series events as a volunteer and helping other chefs with their dinners, so this is very special to me,” he recalled. “I can’t wait to inspire the current students at NC.”

The tables have turned for Mayekar since he graduated in 2014, in ways he never imagined when he first arrived on campus as a student from India.

He was a contestant on Top Chef Canada, served as the executive chef at the American Pavilion at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France, and has been culinary director for Cocktails and Canapes Catering Company. He has managed Fitzpatrick Winery in the Okanagan, and he ran Pepino’s Spaghetti House as well as Café La Tana, two well-known Italian restaurants in Vancouver. Under his leadership, La Tana won Best Italian Restaurant at the 2024 Vancouver Magazine Awards.

In February 2025, just 16 weeks after he opened ELEM, the Vancouver hotspot drew celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Mayekar was also in the media spotlight in September with a feature article Vacay.ca “ELEM Brings the World to Vancouver.”

Opening his dream restaurant has been the highlight of his career – closely followed by achieving spots on the Michelin Guide and Canada 100 Best Restaurants list within 10 months of its opening.

“I’m absolutely living the dream. This is exactly how I wanted my career trajectory to be,” he said. “I am so thankful for some of the professors who I have kept in touch and am blessed to call my mentors – one particularly being Chef Olaf Mertens. He’s my ‘Canadian Poppa.'”

Mayekar takes immense pride in his success. Seeing guests walk through the doors of his restaurant and enjoy his food is a daily reward.

“It’s been a grind to get to where I am, but I would do it over and over again,” he said. “My biggest measure of personal happiness comes from seeing how proud my parents are about ELEM and my culinary journey. Nothing beats seeing my parents happy.”

While he has gone the distance since his days at NC, the memories are close to his heart.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said, noting that the professors and connections he at the College were a huge influence on his culinary journey.

Mayekar looks forward to returning to his alma mater where his success will surely inspire current culinary students. His advice: “Stay focused, stay humble, put your head down, and give it your best shot every single day,” he said. “This is the advice I received from most of my professors at NC … the same wise words which I have passed down to a lot of my cooks throughout my journey.”