The Ottawa Mission's Food Services Program sees largest graduating class

It's graduation day at the Ottawa Mission, where careers are launched in the food services industry.

Now, one graduate has new skills and big dreams in culinary arts.

"I come from Tyendinaga Mohawk Nation. I'm a Mohawk Indigenous Bear Clan woman," said Pauline Maracle, a graduate of the Ottawa Mission's Food Services Program.

Maracle is one of the newest graduates of the program and said, "I've spent my entire life feeding and creating programs and helping to revitalize our language, our culture, our song, our dance, our food."

She completed the four-month course, and believes it will help her continue working with her passion for food. 

"Try to reintroduce and reinforce how important it is that we start with our daily diets to ensure health, all-around health," Maracle said.

Her son Kari Maracle was also present at the ceremony.

"She makes everyone happy with her food in general. And I love that," said Kari.

More than a dozen of her family members were also present to support her on graduation day. 

"We're from quite a ways away from here, and when she moved up here, I was worried. But then when I realized how good she was doing, it honestly made me so happy," Kari said.

"And then when she told me she was graduating, I had to come up right away. It's awesome."

Mission Executive Chef Ric Allen-Watson created the program in 2004.

"We make sure the students have everything they need to be successful. When they leave, they have all the requirements required to work in the commercial kitchen. And we have a 90 per cent success rate at graduation," said Allen-Watson.

Today, there are 20 graduates, the largest class yet since the training program started. Nineteen of the graduates have already been hired for work. 

"Instead of eight or 10, now we can remove physical distancing, remove the mask, remove some of the controls we've had to deal with over the past three years, and get on with graduating more and more people out of homelessness and into jobs," Peter Tilley, Ottawa Mission CEO, said.

"Which was the focus of this program from the start."

Under Chef Ric's guidance, Maracle thrived in the training program and says she owes it all to him.

"Without him and without the pair of us, I could never have been able to do and give back to the city how they gave to me," says Maracle. "And continue to pay that forward in my own community."