Grow your culinary career in the heart of the Okanagan Valley. ÎüʪÊÓƵ focus on a farm-to-table approach, exploring fresh local products. Commercial kitchen spaces allow students to learn the latest techniques from Red Seal-certified chef instructors.
Explore our programs
- Legend:
- Full program offered
- Partial program offered
- Credential
- International students
Professional Cook Apprenticeship
- Kelowna
- Apprenticeship
Baker Apprenticeship
- Kelowna
- Apprenticeship
Culinary Arts Certificate
- Kelowna
- Certificate
- International students
Culinary Management Diploma
- Kelowna
- Diploma
- International students
Pastry Arts Certificate
- Kelowna
- Certificate
- International students
Infusions Restaurant
Infusions Restaurant on the ÎüʪÊÓƵ Kelowna campus showcases the exceptional talent of Culinary Arts students. Indulge in dishes like pecan-crusted rack of lamb with minted apple and potato gnocchi, or cornmeal apple cake with warm caramel sauce and mascarpone ice cream.
Culinary Workshops
These workshops give adults the opportunity to learn new recipes and culinary techniques in a commercial kitchen setting under the guidance of Red Seal Chefs.
![Culinary Arts student holding a beautifully plated meal](/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_landscape/public/2022-09/20190311_okanagan-college-kelowna-6524_47924863892_o.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&itok=zb6lxj-O)
Challenge your skills
Already have years of experience working in the culinary industry? Consider challenging your certification levels with Professional Cook (PC) Practical Re-assessments. PC Practical Re-Assessments are offered at the Kelowna campus for PC-1, PC-2 and PC-3.
Meet our instructors
Brian Alexander
![Culinary Arts Instructor Brian Alexander](/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_profile/public/2020-02/alexander-brian.jpg?h=a0394075&itok=pM87jQR6)
Mike Barillaro
![Culinary Arts Instructor Mike Barillaro](/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_profile/public/2020-02/barillaro-mike.jpg?h=e9f95983&itok=2_wPL5qx)
I am one of the Culinary Arts Instructors at the Culinary centre of ÎüʪÊÓƵ. The main area that I teach in is Infusions Restaurant at ÎüʪÊÓƵ. I teach the Hot Kitchen Breakfast/Lunch service (CA 103) and night-time Dining Room Service (CA 105). This is the part of the Level 1 Foundation for Culinary Arts in our certificate program. My students learn how to source and use the fresh local bounty of products available. I strive to provide a variety of foods, driven by the required curriculum, that change daily and challenge the students' skills to provide for two food outlets. My goal is to provide students with a solid foundation in culinary techniques and theoretical information to enable them to succeed in their chosen field. My career started in Vancouver in 1984 when I took the 52-week Culinary Arts program at PVI in Burnaby. I then went on to apprentice with Delta Hotels for two years in Richmond, B.C, before moving on to the Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver for three years. I then spent seven years at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre working my way up to Sous Chef Garde Manger. My love of golf led me to various Executive Chef positions at some of B.C.’s best golf resorts for 10 years, before I started teaching at ÎüʪÊÓƵ in 2002. While working at the Delta and Pan Pacific hotels, I received numerous awards in cold food competitions, as well as a fat sculpting award as an apprentice. My teaching philosophy is one of inclusiveness for all students. I try to connect with my students to show my enthusiasm for food and my chosen industry, as well as trying to meet the students’ needs at every level of their learning journey.
Credentials:
Culinary Arts Certificate, PVI
Certificate of Qualification, Province of British Columbia
Certificate of Apprenticeship, Delta Hotels within the Province of British Columbia
Instructor Diploma Program (BCID), VCC
Daniel Capadouca
![Culinary Arts Instructor Danny Capadouca](/sites/default/files/styles/mobile_profile/public/2020-02/capadouca-danny.jpg?h=c49af9c6&itok=Qcr24Pxe)
I have been working in the hospitality industry for 27 years, having graduated from Vancouver Community College in 2001. I started my apprenticeship in Vitre, France in the Brittany Region then continued it in Vancouver, B.C., at the Westin Bayshore hotel. I have competed in many competitions winning multiple awards including the Grand Gold Award at the Salon du Chocolat in 2005. I then moved on to work at Chocolate Arts to learn more about chocolate. Returning back to France, I attended a short Pastry Class at the Paul Bocuse Institut in Lyon. I moved to the Okanagan in 2007. Having worked for some of the best restaurants and hotels in the valley, I became the Pastry Arts instructor at ÎüʪÊÓƵ in 2014. In 2016, I developed an exclusive chocolate line for ÎüʪÊÓƵ at the Cacao Barry, Or Noir Lab in Meulan, France, becoming the third learning institution in the world, the first in North America to have their own exclusive chocolate line.
Credentials:
Red Seal Certified, Culinary Arts Program at Vancouver Community College
Reinhard Foerderer
I have been with ÎüʪÊÓƵ for 11 years and am an assessor for the cook trade certification for the Industry Training Authority (ITA). I have taken on the Culinary and Pastry Arts Chair position in June 2019 and am currently full-time chair of the department. My culinary education and work experience spans over 34 years and includes a Diploma in Hospitality Management from Heidelberg Hospitality Management College in Germany, 10 years as Executive Chef at Manteo Resort in Kelowna, Executive Chef with Hy’s Canada at Bigwoods Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, Sous Chef at the Fish House in Stanley Park and working with Hilton International at the Park Hilton Hotel in Munich, Germany. My professional highlights include being an active member of the Okanagan Chefs Association, serving two terms as vice president, two terms as treasurer, and being voted Chef of the Year twice by the Okanagan Chefs Association members in 2008 and 2005, acting as Head Assessor for the trade of cook in Canada federal project, and membership of the Chaine des Rottiseurs Okanagan from 2003 – 2012. I consider food one of life’s greatest joys. My focus when teaching students is to teach them the best up-to-date skills and methods possible, so they will be successful in the industry after graduating from ÎüʪÊÓƵ.
Credentials:
Red Seal Cook Certification, ITAC Vancouver
Hospitality Business Management Diploma, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg, Germany
German Red Seal Cook Certification, Hospitality School Bad Ueberkingen, Germany
Provincial Instructor Diploma, Vancouver Community College
In Essence Newsletter
This e-newsletter will give you an insider’s look at what is happening with programs, events and projects in the Culinary and Pastry Arts department.
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