News Article

Newfoundland cooking students to compete in Mexico


4/5/2002 9:06:18 AM


Chad Burden, Brad Carpenter, and Lana Madore, all first year cooking students at College of the North Atlantic, are representing Canada at the Fouet D'or International Culinary Competition in Mexico on April 19-22. Missing is team captain Eric Hynes and instructor Eric King.

April 5, 2002 - September 11, 2001 started out just like any other day for Chad Burden.

Well, not just like any other.

That Tuesday was supposed to be the first day of classes for the Culinary Arts student at College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Burden went to class that morning not expecting to do very much on his first day.

"Before we are allowed to begin classes in the kitchen we need our sanitation course," says the mild mannered cooking student.

"But as I was walking through the front lobby to go to class, I noticed a small crowd of people had began to gather around the TV. I asked what was going on and they said a plane had crashed in New York."

Not realizing the full impact of what he had just been told, Burden continued on to class.

An hour passed and by this time the entire college was abuzz with the news of the terrorist attacks and the collapse of the World Trade Towers.

An emergency meeting was called for the students and staff of the college's Bay St. George campus, located in the small town of Stephenville (pop. 8,000). Burden sat quietly as campus administrator Cyril Organ told them what was happening.

"He told us all the flights were being cancelled and many of them were heading here," says Burden.

"He said we were going to try and accommodate these people and asked us to do whatever we could to help."

Students offered to give up their residence rooms or take people into their homes. They brought blankets and pillows, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap and towels - whatever items they thought a stranded traveler could use.

"I mentioned that I wouldn't mind helping out and they assigned me to the kitchen," says Burden.

At approximately 2 p.m. Burden began to prepare his first meal as a cooking student - seafood lasagna for 60!

"The most I had ever cooked for was maybe four or five people at home," he says with a shy smile.

"I wasn't sure if I was mixing the ingredients correctly, putting in the right amounts. But when it was done it all looked okay, so I suppose it was good."

The clock had passed 3 a.m. before Burden finally called it a night.

"None of us wanted to leave," he says.

"But by that time all the passengers were fed and we decided we had better get some sleep because we had to be back to prepare breakfast by 8 a.m."

Burden and other volunteers continued to work upwards of 20 hours a day for the next three days to make sure the 1,100 stranded passengers who touched down in Stephenville were well fed and comfortable.

A total of 27 aircraft had landed at Stephenville's international airport. The tarmac hadn't played host to so many large planes since the late 60s when the U.S. Air Force operated one of its bases there.

Two of those aircraft were Aero Mexico flights, and despite only a short stay in Stephenville, the Mexican passengers had developed many friendships with students and staff at the college.

By month's end, as if it was fated, the college received an invitation to send a team to compete in the Fouet D’or International Culinary Competition being held at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense in Toluca, Mexico from April 19-22.

"When we received this invitation, not only did we think it was a great opportunity to have our students exposed to a new culture and the pressures and excitement of international competition, but we thought it would be a good chance to hold a reception in Mexico for the passengers aboard the Aero Mexico flights which landed here," says Organ.

"The last time we were together it was a very trying time for everyone, and we wanted to do something for them under circumstances that were much more pleasant."

There are 15 teams from six countries taking part in the competition. The College of the North Atlantic team is the only one from Canada.

Team Canada consists of captain Eric Hynes, an apprenticeship student, and three first year students including Burden, Brad Carpenter, and Lana Madore. Accompanying the students will be one of their instructors, Eric King.

"This is a golden opportunity for them," says King, who is no stranger to the competitive cooking scene, winning a silver medal at the Canadian National Culinary Competition and being a member of the only team from Newfoundland to ever win gold at the Atlantic Canadian competition.

"I have been cooking and competing for 28 years and this is the first time I've been to an international competition."

While King will not be competing this time around, he will get a chance to show off his abundant culinary skill, holding a two-hour seafood demonstration for the competitors and delegates at the event.

"We certainly have a full slate while we're there, but preparing for this has been made much easier because of the tremendous support at home," he says.

In terms of support, the college donated $5,000 towards the team's expenses and also presented them with college jackets and backpacks. Grohmann, a Nova Scotia company famous for its high quality knives, donated a complete knife set to each competitor. Canada Pork Company even donated pork product, not just for Team Canada, but for all the teams at the competition.

"We also had great support from companies such as Nestle Canada, Janes Family Foods, Atlantic Grocery Distributors, Comeau Seafoods, Druken Brokerage, the Western Newfoundland and Labrador Chefs Association, Lamb Weston, the provincial government… the list goes on," says King.

With a team consisting of three first year cooking students, King is not putting too much pressure on his budding chefs, saying he just wants them to have a good time and experience the high level of competition.

However, the team has other ideas.

"It's going to be a lot of fun, but we're going over to give our best," says Burden.

"We're going for a good time, but we're also going to win."

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For more information contact:

Stephen Lee
Communications Officer
709.643.7928