CREDIT: EMILY STEWART
Culinary skills - Fanshawe College chef training student Elisa Luttrell and Chef Wade Fitzgerald from Saffron's Fine Dining prepare smoked salmon at the London Wine and Food Show.

The 12th Annual London Wine and Food Show's guests tried Tom Collins cocktails, ricotta gnocchi and double chocolate stout sticky toffee pudding prepared by Fanshawe's School of Tourism and Hospitality faculty and chefs.

The college was well represented throughout the three-day event at the Western Fair District's Agriplex, with culinary demonstrations and performances by students in the Music Industry Arts (MIA) program alternating every half hour in their schedule. Broadcasting-television students also projected the demos and performances.

David Belford, the dean for the faculty of business, which oversees the School of Tourism and Hospitality, said that the chairs would fill up throughout the event and estimates hundreds of people saw what the college has to offer. He said while Fanshawe has been a recurring guest at the London Food and Wine Show over many years, the School of Tourism and Hospitality expanded to include more demonstrations in 2016. He added that performances by MIA students are a new element.

“We're trying to promote the school as a terrific place to learn,” he explained. “This event's about entertainment too. When we have our own students performing up there, it really adds a lot to it.”

MIA students enjoyed performing for the London Wine and Food Show guests.

“It just keeps everyone aware of what Fanshawe is offering to everybody,” Bradon Dougherty, a second year MIA student, said after he performed.

Bradon Dougherty was one of the Music Industry Arts students performing at the London Wine and Food Show. CREDIT: EMILY STEWART

“Without events like this, people might now know that there's a really awesome music program at Fanshawe College, so they come by and see these events, and then they learn a little bit more about the school and the programs.”

Bobbi Redd, another second-year MIA student added that it was one of her first live performances. She said performing at the London Food and Wine Show was “exciting” and called the atmosphere “really cool”.

“It's a really great opportunity for the college. We have an awesome little set up.”

Spectators were impressed by Fanshawe's demonstrations. Kim Rushforth was attending her fourth London Wine and Food Show. She enjoyed watching hospitality management-food and beverage program co-ordinator, Colin Hill, teach mixology and Chef Wade Fitzgerald prepare smoked salmon. “They're fabulous, very informative [and] making it intriguing to go there for continuing education,” she said.

Some audience members were called up to the stage during the demonstrations. Michelle Pierce Hamilton, a tea sommelier and nutritionist who runs the tea sommelier certification program at Fanshawe, called two people during her tea tasting demonstration.

“One of our audience members was able to tell the difference without seeing the leaf and just tasting the tea in the cup,” Pierce Hamilton said. 

Belford added that Fanshawe grads and parents of Fanshawe students would talk to representatives of the college during the event. “It's a great way for them to reconnect to the school.”

Caroline Claver, who took the office administration program at Fanshawe, came to the London Wine and Food Show for the first time and watched a sourdough bread demonstration. “It was awesome,” she said.  

After each demonstration, students served spectators food samples.

London Wine and Food Show guests tried Double Chocolate Stout Sticky Toffee Puddings following Chef Carmen Barquero's Let's Bake demo. CREDIT: EMILY STEWART

Culinary skills-chef training student, Elisa Luttrell, explained they prepare the food while a different demo is happening or during a music set, and then receive signals to hand out the food.

“You are basically representing the school and people are seeing you and they go, ‘Oh, that's a good representation of what the school is.'”

London city councillor for Ward 1, Michael Van Holst attended and said Fanshawe's participation in events like the London Food and Wine Show is important for all of London's community. “It's nice to see them involved and being a leader in many ways.”

Guests also grabbed booklets containing recipes demonstrated at the event.

Fanshawe offers culinary continuing education classes. Tour of the Mediterranean, Let's Bake 1, Cook Mexico and Tea-Intro begin mid-February 2017. Visit fanshawec.ca/parttime for more information.