Pressroom Reviews > Busy Caterers Cooking up Culinary Economy – Appetites Are Growing for Quality Food
by Business Edge/June 24, 2004, posted on 10:59 AM, January 10, 2007
June 24, 2004/Business Edge
Busy Caterers Cooking up Culinary Economy –
Appetites Are Growing for Quality Food
By Karen Dyer
In Vancouver, a good meal is not hard to find.
Restaurants abound in every conceivable cuisine, with the total number of establishments fluctuating around the 6,000 mark throughout the Lower Mainland. But not all venues are created equal, and when a business or a family is looking for an elegant meal that's not served in a restaurant, catering is often the answer.
As a result, the catering business is booming, says Sue Singer, founder of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. “We opened our doors eight years ago and we have just undergone a renovation that more than doubles the size of our operation,” she says.
The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts was the first fully accredited private cooking school in Canada to incorporate a restaurant and bakeshop. Today, their operations encompass a 13,000-sq.-ft. area that includes teaching kitchens, restaurant, bakeshop and a separate catering kitchen.
The Institute draws aspiring chefs from all over the world. “Our students have come from Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico and every state in the U.S.,” she says. “They come here to learn a variety of skills. Our goal is to teach them how to produce classical art on a plate.”
But a conventional life as a chef in a restaurant is not the only career path for students attending this school. “Catering fits into the entrepreneurial spirit that appeals to some of our students,” Singer says, adding that in addition to in-school experience the school provides offsite catering as well.
The institute now has three graduates on staff, one of whom has taken on the position of catering co-ordinator.
“We used to just cater events on the weekends, but now we do it six days a week,” says Singer.
Busy Caterers Cooking up Culinary Economy –
Appetites Are Growing for Quality Food
By Karen Dyer
In Vancouver, a good meal is not hard to find.
Restaurants abound in every conceivable cuisine, with the total number of establishments fluctuating around the 6,000 mark throughout the Lower Mainland. But not all venues are created equal, and when a business or a family is looking for an elegant meal that's not served in a restaurant, catering is often the answer.
As a result, the catering business is booming, says Sue Singer, founder of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. “We opened our doors eight years ago and we have just undergone a renovation that more than doubles the size of our operation,” she says.
The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts was the first fully accredited private cooking school in Canada to incorporate a restaurant and bakeshop. Today, their operations encompass a 13,000-sq.-ft. area that includes teaching kitchens, restaurant, bakeshop and a separate catering kitchen.
The Institute draws aspiring chefs from all over the world. “Our students have come from Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico and every state in the U.S.,” she says. “They come here to learn a variety of skills. Our goal is to teach them how to produce classical art on a plate.”
But a conventional life as a chef in a restaurant is not the only career path for students attending this school. “Catering fits into the entrepreneurial spirit that appeals to some of our students,” Singer says, adding that in addition to in-school experience the school provides offsite catering as well.
The institute now has three graduates on staff, one of whom has taken on the position of catering co-ordinator.
“We used to just cater events on the weekends, but now we do it six days a week,” says Singer.