From Concept to Career

I’m about to be a Food Grad for the second time! I graduated from the Culinary Management program at Niagara College in the spring of 2015. I loved being a part of this program and the Niagara College environment. The chefs went above and beyond to help you reach your goals and there were many volunteer opportunities to do with classmates within the college.

Career Dilemma

Upon my graduation, I was very happy with my new knowledge of culinary arts, and what it takes to run a successful restaurant or food business. However, I quickly found out that working in food establishments like kitchens or bakeries, is not my passion. I was unsure what the answer was to my career dilemma because I knew I wanted a career working with food, but I also wanted a stable work schedule in a professional, business-oriented environment.

A friend of mine started at Niagara College the same day I did in the Culinary Innovation and Food Technology program. We would keep in touch over the years and talk about how classes were going. She would tell me all the different prospects of this new program where students learn how to be a food technologist and develop new food products from concept to shelf.

I had no idea so much planning went into producing food. It was all so interesting to me and I knew I had to be a part of it.

I decided to apply for Advanced Standing in the Culinary Innovation and Food Technology program and waited, for what seemed like forever, to hear back. I got a call from the Admissions Office one afternoon in July with good news; I had been accepted into the program, I couldn’t wait!

Culinary Innovation and Food Technology

I joined the Culinary Innovation and Food Technology program in the fall of 2015 and I am happy to say that I graduate this April.

Now that I am so close to leaving Niagara College and being out in the real world, I am thinking about the many career paths I can take within the Food and Beverage Industry. I am looking into the many ways my career could develop through industry connections and online research.

What to do in the real world?

One day in class, my professor Dr. Amy was excited to tell us that our school had started a partnership with SGS. SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. They are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity–offering courses at Niagara College as part of a Food Safety Program Optimization (FSPO) certificate. This course was designed to target risk reduction and provide the tools for students to demonstrate risk-based diligence and to implement a food safety strategy system. When I heard this news, I was inclined to find out more.

Eliminate Risk!

I found out there are a total of 5 courses taught by SGS as part of the FSPO certificate. The first two over Reading Week. At first, I was not too thrilled about the idea of being at school during reading week, but I knew it would be a great opportunity to participate and expand my food safety knowledge.

Join me in my next post where I talk about my experience taking the first two SGS Food Safety Program Optimization courses!

Written by Amelia Laplante – Amelia is a Niagara College graduate pursuing a career in the Food and Beverage Industry. She has a background in Culinary Innovation and is passionate about exploring the many career paths within the Food Science world.

Please share this post with other students and grads, Amelia’s path may inspire others!