Top Chef Canada is ready to turn up the heat for its upcoming 10^th season, and a Niagara College alumnus is fired up to compete in this popular reality television series considered one of the most prestigious culinary competitions in Canada.

Vaishnav (‘Vish’) Mayekar, who graduated from NC’s Culinary Management (Co-op) program in 2014, has been selected to compete in the upcoming season of the esteemed culinary competition to debut on Food Network Canada in September, dubbed Top Chef Canada X.  He is on the roster of 11 talented chefs from across the country who will be vying for the coveted title of Canada’s Top Chef.

“Top Chef Canada’s goal is to shine a light on the country’s best and brightest culinary stars, with this season’s cast of chefs truly representing the culturally rich fabric of Canada’s food scene,” said Eric Abboud, Executive Producer and Showrunner, Insight Productions. “Vish is one of best chefs in Vancouver and we are thrilled to cast him on the series as he is wildly competitive and passionate about sharing his food story.”

For each season of Top Chef Canada, Insight Productions and Food Network Canada search for a group of passionate professional chefs to showcase a variety of cuisines and share their love of food with the network’s audience. Interested chefs from across the country apply through the Top Chef Canada casting site. Selected applicants go through a more formal audition and casting process, and the chefs who make it to the show are chosen by Insight Production’s casting team and representatives from Food Network Canada.

Mayekar has been following the show since its first season and, with his longtime passion for competition, he knew that he wanted to be a part of it.

“It’s an absolute honour. You know it’s not something everyone gets to do or is able to do so being selected to compete in one of the most prestigious competitions in Canada feels amazing,” said Mayekar. “I’m stoked and, personally, I’ve wanted to do this for a few years now, but it’s come at the right time, and I can’t wait for everyone to watch me compete.”

As a professional chef, Mayekar is known for his unique ingredient combinations and love for infusing flavours and spices from his Indian heritage. Trained and well-versed in Italian cuisine, he is currently Head Chef at Pepino’s Spaghetti House and wine bar Caffe La Tana in Vancouver, B.C. He also cooks for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars every year at the Cannes Film Festival, where he is the Head Chef at the American Pavilion.

A member of Culinary Team Canada, Mayekar is also preparing to represent Canada on the world stage in 2024 at the IKA Culinary Olympics.

He has a lot on his plate, balancing his career with Team Canada and Top Chef competitions, but Mayekar believes “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“I just like staying busy, always being involved in things and always trying to be a better cook and a better person each day,” he said.

Mayekar grew up in Mumbai, India and fell in love with food at an early age. His passion for the culinary arts led him to enrol at NC where he made his mark not only at culinary events and competitions, but on the board of directors for the NC Student Administrative Council and as a volunteer with the international department and won the prestigious Ontario Youth Award in 2014.

“Niagara College has truly been the foundation of a lot of my accomplishments in Canada,” said Mayekar. “I met the most amazing chefs and mentors at Niagara College, and some lifelong friends that I share my culinary journey with.”

News about Mayekar’s selection as a chef contestant Top Chef Canada X is stirring up excitement throughout the College and its School of Culinary Arts.

“The ultimate satisfaction that an educator can have, is hearing about the success of their graduates. At Niagara College, we strive to set our alumni on the right path with a relevant set of tools but, ultimately, it’s their own hard work and determination that breeds success,” said Craig Youdale, Dean, Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies.

“Our entire team is very proud of Vish, and we will look forward to cheering him on both on the set of Top Chef Canada, as well as his life’s journey.”

The announcement of Mayekar’s selection for Season 10, comes just months after NC alumna Erica Karbelnik (nee Hakien) was declared the winner of Season 9 of Top Chef Canada, while her husband Josh Karbelnik also cooked his way to the top four. The Karbelniks both graduated from NC’s Culinary Management Co-op program in 2011 and were the first married couple to compete on the show.

Top Chef Canada X will air on September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada and will be available to stream through STACKTV. In addition to the title of Canada’s Top Chef, the winner will earn the largest reward in Top Chef Canada history: a cash prize of $100,000 provided by Royale Tiger Towel, a luxury Lexus NX, brand-new kitchen outfitted by KitchenAid, an exclusive farm-to-table adventure courtesy of Glad, and a $10,000 cash prize from DoorDash. For information about Top Chef Canada visit foodnetwork.ca.

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.

TOP PHOTO: Vish Mayekar will be a chef contestant on Season 10 of Top Chef Canada. Photo credit: Mike Ford / Food Network Canada.

Media inquiries, please contact:

Julie Greco
Communications Consultant
Cell: 905-328-2532
[email protected]

Michael Wales
Director, Communications
Cell: 905-328-4101
[email protected]

Winning a gold medal at this year’s U.S. Open College Beer Championship has given second-year Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management student Ian Morrison a little extra incentive to keep brewing up new ideas.

“I was very excited to hear the results of this competition,” Morrison said. “I am also happy that my hard work paid off and that it is being recognized at an international event such as the U.S. Open. This award has motivated me to continue to challenge myself and to grow as a brewer.”

Morrison’s saison beer, “Saison du Temps Presse,” was one of four Niagara College entries to earn a nod at the annual championship. Aaron Grandguillot’s American porter “Lights Out” was also awarded a gold medal, while Matt Hand’s dark Belgian strong “Strong Hand” earned a bronze. “Changing Lanes,” a white IPA beer brewed by the class, also brought home a bronze.

“Being able to apply all that I have learned instantly and create something that seasoned brewers determine as better than the rest, is the best I could have hoped for,” said Courtney Nuttley, who led the class brew. “This [win] means a lot to me as a starting brewer.”

Now in its sixth year, the U.S. Open College Beer Championship is open to colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada that offer courses in brewing. A total of 11 schools participated in the 2022 edition, which premiered a new hybrid format that combined last year’s modified format with aspects of the competition from 2019 and earlier. Winners were announced July on 15.

Each college was allowed to enter up to four beers of their own choosing, plus a beer from a specific category to be judged head-to-head according to the U.S. Open Style Standards. The category this year was German Kolsch.

“The ability for students to be able to enter a competition which includes other schools from across North America is an amazing opportunity, said Niagara College Brewmaster Jon Downing. “Being judged by some of the best beer judges in the world, who are responsible for judging professional competitions, gives the students great feedback and experience in an international competition.”

For Grandguillot, the win was completely unexpected—and somewhat validating.

“Brewing will be my second career, and it was a bit of a leap of faith to enter the program in the first place,” he said. “To have one of my first original recipes earning some recognition in an international competition is something I never saw coming, but shows that maybe I’m on the right track with my new profession.”

Likewise, Hand, who said his brew was inspired by his love for the yeast character of dark Belgian strong ales, said he was excited to hear of his bronze-medal win.

“I put a lot of thought and care into this brew and I’m happy that my efforts were noticed.”

The U.S. Open College Beer Championship, held at the U.S. Open Event Centre in Oxford, OH, is the only beer competition for beers exclusively from college and university brewing and fermentation programs. Entries can be brewed on any system on or off-campus that is approved by the professors/instructors.

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs, as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.

-30-

Media inquiries, please contact:
Michael Wales
Director, Communications
Cell: 905-328-4101
[email protected]

Nearly two dozen beers will be on tap, August 13, for Niagara College’s next Project Brew competition in the courtyard at the Daniel J. Patterson campus.

Dubbed CarnivALE, the event will showcase the unique craft beer creations the graduating students in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program have come up with as part of their final term project. It will also serve as a fundraiser for the Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship.

Project Brew faculty lead April Tyrrell said the students chose the theme because, like a carnival, it’s a fun-themed event.

“The students liked the idea of a fun atmosphere and return to a full-sized Project Brew that includes carnival games, a dunk tank, and carnival food,” Tyrrell said. “It’s a carnival theme with carnival food to go with it: popcorn, Pogos, fries, deep fried Oreos, and donuts.”

Brewmaster student Adam Marshall is looking forward to debuting two beers: ‘Suffig,’ a German pilsner, and his Belgian Witbier ‘Mouthcloud.’ The latter is a spiced beer with coriander seed, curacao orange peel, dried chamomile flowers and some bergamot extract.

“I had the opportunity to acquire some coriander fresh from Bangalore when some family came to visit,” the Welland resident said. “This is a classic ingredient in a Belgian Witbier, so I decided that I wanted to put it to good use. Project Brew is an opportunity to experiment in a relatively low-risk environment. Not often in the industry can you attempt such a small batch brew and have the opportunity to really throw whatever you want into the mix.”

Marshall said it was a challenge to get the spice dosing rates down, because even though he wanted to showcase the spices, he didn’t want it to come off as peppery or soapy.

A highlight of the process was carbonation day.

“[It was fun] getting to see how the carbonation brought the aromatics to life and see how the beer will really present itself when served,” he said.

Ancient brewing and rarity inspired Tyler Lefrancois’ two Project Brew entries, a Sahti called ‘Titania Sahti Sour’ and ‘Oberon Prime,’ a Berliner Weisse. Aside from feeding his interest in beer history, the experience gave him a chance to work on flavour balancing.

“Flavour balancing is probably the hardest thing for me to figure out with little experience, but the experiments to learn that balancing is also one of the most fun things to figure out,” Lefrancois said. “This course showed and taught me so much and more than I thought I would learn about. It also gives me and any others who are interested in the course many opportunities to learn and get your foot in the door to the industry.”

Courtney Nuttley thought she knew a lot about beer when she started the Brewmaster program. Now, as she finishes it by entering her Schwarzbier ‘Lemon Espresso Lager’ and Canadian IPA ‘The Village’ at Project Brew, she realizes there’s always more to learn.

“I didn’t know there was so much to know and now I feel like I will never stop learning about beer—and that makes me happy,” she said. “This was a wonderful program and experience and I feel that all I have learned gives me a good start in this industry.”

She added being a part of Project Brew and seeing the students’ creations come to life has provided her and her classmates with a unique learning experience.

“I think it is important because it is a real-life example of going full cycle on our product by going from brewing to packaging and serving the beer to the public,” she said. “You get to see the full life cycle of the product we are making and how money is made in our industry, and more importantly [you get to] see how people react to it.”

With only nine students involved, Tyrrell said each student had to create two different beers for Project Brew. Usually one beer per student is presented.

“The students have been excellent to work with. They’re very collaborative and have had a very similar vision,” she said. “They are learning about how to plan and execute an event and have really worked hard to bring all the pieces together.”

Tickets to CarnivALE, which will take place August 13 from 4 to 7 p.m., are $20 each and are available now through the Project Brew website. Guests must be 19 years of age or older and show valid ID.

Admission includes a sample glass and four drink tickets; additional drink tickets can be purchased at the event for $2 each. A selection of food prepared by the Canadian Food and Wine Institute’s Culinary students will also be available.

All proceeds from Project Brew benefit the Matt Soos Memorial Scholarship, in memory of Matt Soos, who graduated from the Brewmaster program in 2015. The scholarship was established by Railway City Brewing, where Soos worked at the time of his passing shortly after graduating from Niagara College.

Photo:
Adam Marshall, left, and Aaron Grandguillot work on one of the beers that will be presented on August 13 during Project Brew. The event showcases the unique craft beer creations of the graduating students in Niagara College’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program. (Photo courtesy of Robin Marshall)
Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.
-30-
Media inquiries, please contact:
Michael Wales
Director, Communications
Cell: 905-328-4101
[email protected]

Niagara College’s Teaching Winery continues to produce award-winning wines that are impressing judges at the provincial and national levels.

In June, the Teaching Winery collected a total of nine medals: two silver and a bronze at the Ontario Wine Awards presented at a ceremony at Niagara College on June 16, and two gold, three silver and a bronze at the National Wine Awards of Canada, June 19 to 23, in Niagara Falls.

“Being recognized with these kinds of awards demonstrates the high quality of applied learning students get at Niagara College,” said Steve Gill, Niagara College’s General Manager of Learning Enterprises. “Our on-campus Teaching Winery and on-campus vineyards are second to none, and they provide an exceptional way for students to gain the skills they need to succeed in the industry.”

The Ontario Wine Awards recognize Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance wines for their quality, distinction, and brilliance. This year, 74 wineries from Niagara, Prince Edward County and southwest Ontario entered 600 wines in the competition—the most ever in a single year.

Thirty wines received gold medals, 39 were awarded silver, and 30 received bronze. The judging by 12 panels took place at George Brown College on May 7.

“I’m happy to see that we took awards across a wide variety of categories in the Ontario Wine Awards and WineAlign National Wine Awards,” said College Winemaker and Instructor Gavin Robertson. “Winning medals for sparkling, aromatic whites, barrel-fermented whites, light and heavier bodied reds, dessert wines and both single varietal wines and blends demonstrate an excellence in winemaking in diverse styles.

“It’s important that we showcase the techniques and quality control standards that allow for high quality products for our students in the Teaching Winery.”

The College’s awards include:

• Silver for Balance Dry Riesling 2020 (Quench Magazine Riesling Dry Award);
• Silver for Dean’s List Viognier 2020 (Dry White Varietals Award); and
• Bronze for Balance Gamay Noir 2018 (George Brown Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts Gamay Award).

“The Ontario Wine Awards have been called ‘The Oscars of the Ontario Wine Industry,’ annually celebrating the very best the province has produced,” said competition Founder Tony Aspler. “Niagara College Teaching Winery has consistently taken home medals in the competition, which speaks to the quality of instruction and the passion and commitment of the students.”

In addition to the medals, Niagara College alumnus Paul Pender was posthumously awarded the Winemaker of the Year Award for his many contributions to the Ontario wine industry.

Pender, who passed away suddenly on February 3, graduated from the College’s Winery Viticulture and Technician program in 2006.

In his memory, the Ontario Wine Awards created the Paul Pender Memorial ‘Rising Star’ Award. Its first recipient was another Niagara College alumnus, Alex Baines (Winery Viticulture and Technician, 2015), who worked with Pender at Tawse Winery and is now working at Hidden Bench Estate Winery in Beamsville.

“I learned from Paul how important a sense of place was in winemaking and that the best wines were those that truly transport you to a location, a place in time and made you reflect on what you were doing the year the fruit was harvested,” Baines wrote in a profile shared at the Ontario Wine Awards. “He really inspired me to follow organic farming practices and terroir-focused winemaking. This philosophy still holds true today and I have focused my career on producers that follow these practices.”

The Teaching Winery’s success at the provincial level was quickly followed up by more accolades from the judges of the 21st annual WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. Of the 1,890 wines and ciders entered, Niagara College’s 2020 Dean’s List Cabernet Sauvignon and 2020 Les Marmitons Chardonnay were each awarded gold medals, while the 2020 Dean’s List Merlot, 2020 Dean’s List Meritage and 2020 Balance Dry Riesling were each awarded a silver medal. The NV Balance Brut earned a bronze.

“The 2020 Marmitons Chardonnay and all three Dean’s List reds that won are new releases, just bottled this spring after careful barrel-aging and blending in the cellar,” Robertson said. “They’re young but showing well now and will only improve with time in bottle. The Balance Brut and 2020 Dry Riesling have really shown themselves to shine in competition this season, winning at multiple competitions.”

David Lawrason, Co-Chief Judge of the Awards, said winning six medals across six different styles, capped by two golds, “shows that Niagara College instructors and students are right on their game within the Canadian wine community.”

“The National Wine Awards of Canada has been helping wineries benchmark their efforts for 21 years, and all along Niagara College has been an active and successful participant,” said Lawrason.

With nearly 1,900 entries this year, WineAlign President Bryan McCaw said the Nationals are Canada’s largest wine awards.

“We pride ourselves on the level of detail and organization we put into the awards to ensure the wines are treated as fairly as possible,” he said. “We spend three days just setting up, followed by five full days of judging. We bring together top judges from across Canada along with several international judges. The judges work with small flights and only taste about 85 wines a day to ensure their palates stay sharp.”

Niagara College offers more than 130 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs; as well as more than 600 credit, vocational and general interest Part-Time Studies courses. Areas of specialization include food and wine sciences, advanced technology, media, applied health and community safety, supported by unique learning enterprises in food, wine, beer, distilling, horticulture and esthetics. For more information visit niagaracollege.ca.

TOP PHOTO: NC Winemaker and Instructor Gavin Robertson (middle) stands with a group of Winery and Viticulture Technician students who hold up some of the Teaching Winery’s latest award-winning wines. From left: Catherine Kangas, Cheuk Yin Ma, Abigail Joy Boldt, Gavin Robertson, Natalia Cacioli, Montserrat De Los Rios, and Abigail Arabia.

-30-

Media inquiries, please contact:

Julie Greco
Communications Consultant
Cell: 905-328-2532
[email protected]