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.”

The hands-on experience of working at Benchmark and volunteering for College events isn’t just the icing on the cake; for some students, it’s the whole enchilada.

For many NC Hospitality and Culinary students, whether they are working front- or back-of-house at the on-campus teaching restaurant or lending a hand at a special event, these opportunities are a key ingredient to achieving their dreams.

“The hands-on experience I’m gaining at Benchmark

and through volunteering at events has been

one of the most valuable parts of my education.”

– Kenneth Loria, Supply Chain Management 

The new scholarship, awarded for the first time earlier this year, recognizes students in the Culinary, Tourism, and Beverage Studies division who are highly engaged outside the classroom and demonstrate exemplary leadership and teamwork through their work at Benchmark and as volunteers for events and charitable activities.

The latest recipients include two students from the School of Hospitality and Tourism, Kenneth Loria and Vedhant Suri, and two from the School of Culinary Arts, Sunpreet Kaur and Samjana Limbu, who recently completed the Culinary Management program. The four students were selected as the scholarship’s spring-term recipients and were presented with their awards at Benchmark in early September.  In April, the scholarship was awarded for the first time to Janapriya Rajagopal, a spring 2025 graduate of Hospitality – Hotel and Restaurant Operations (Co-op).

“These students were selected for their impeccable professionalism, engagement, passion for the industry, leadership, and peer mentoring,” said Victor Oliveira, Manager of Catering and Special Events. “They were really successful during their time at Benchmark, contributing to the department and the industry alike.”

Loria, from St. Catharines, is enrolled in NC’s Supply Chain Management program. He enrolled after working in the hospitality sector in the Philippines and plans to combine his hospitality background with the logistical knowledge he’s gaining to one day work in management at a prestigious hotel.

“This recognition means a lot to me. Not only does it validate the hard work and dedication I’ve put into my studies and practical experiences, but it also provides significant financial support that helps reduce my tuition fees,” said Loria. “It motivates me even more to continue striving for excellence and making the most out of my time at Niagara College.”

For almost three semesters, he has worked as a server at Benchmark and has volunteered for numerous College events, from the Open House and Gala to the FIRST Robotics competition and convocation ceremonies. Loria values the practical experience he’s gaining as he puts classroom lessons into practice, whether it’s managing busy service, working collaboratively at large-scale events, or understanding logistics and planning.

“The hands-on experience I’m gaining at Benchmark and through volunteering at events has been one of the most valuable parts of my education,” Loria. “It has helped me build confidence, improve my communication skills, and better understand the level of professionalism and coordination required in real-world environments.”

He noted that his experiences have given him a deeper understanding of both hospitality and supply chain operation.

“I feel much more prepared to take on leadership roles in the future,” he said. “What I find most rewarding is the sense of purpose and connection, being able to represent Niagara College and contribute to the success of events while growing both personally and professionally.”

Suri, from Niagara Falls and originally from India, is a third-year Honours Bachelor of Business Administration – Hospitality student. He said he hopes to soak up as much experience as he can while working toward his ultimate goal of becoming a finance manager.

During his 14 months working at Benchmark, Suri has gotten a taste of many different roles: server, bartender, host, expediter–bridging the gap between the front-of-house and the kitchen–and more. He has also volunteered at hospitality-related events like Project Brew and Caps, Corks and Forks, as well as College events like Orientation and Open House.

Suri appreciates learning more about food and beverage while putting his knowledge into practice. He also values the opportunities to hone his soft skills.

“After all this experience, I can visualize the things I learn in class in a better way,” said Suri. “The experience made me proactive, improved my problem-solving skills needed in the classroom, and overall made me a better student.”

Having his efforts acknowledged through the scholarship was meaningful to him.

“To receive the scholarship is a proud moment for me, as I feel like I have accomplished something,” he said. “It means the beginning of the growth in my career in Hospitality, where I will keep progressing and innovating in the industry.”

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. “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.”

“This fund is such a wonderful addition to the many great awards that we offer at Niagara College,” said Development Officer Emily O’Connor. “Now, we’re able to celebrate the students who contribute to campus life and strive to make Benchmark and NC a positive leader in the community.”

The next recipients are expected to be announced at the end of Fall term.

Support the Student Experience Scholarship Fund

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.