Scholarship Recipients 2020

Elena is a native of Vancouver. When her family moved to Pennsylvania she knew that after high school she wanted to come back to her roots and pursue a degree in Food Science at UBC. She hopes to become part of a research and development team of a food company afterwards and one day hopes to have her very own food product.

Kaitlyn started in the wine industry working in the lab, after completing her microbiology degree at UBCO. Realizing her passion for wine and the effort that is put to create beautiful wines, she decided she would like to become a winemaker. She worked a couple harvests over seas, and now she is ready to settle in the Okangan as a winemaker. She is starting her enology certificaite with the help of this scholarship.

Lexi loves chocolate! It absorbs her thoughts almost all hours of the day, As a pastry instructor at North West Culinary Academy of Vancouver, Lexi also loves sharing her passion with students. The LDBC award is allowing her to further her education in the medium of chocolate by attending an Introduction to Molding and Sculpting Chocolate with world renowned Maitre chocolatier, Christophe Morel at the Cacao Barry Chocolate Academy in Toronto.

Davina is 16 years old and currently registered in the Level 1 Professional Cook programme at the David Thompson High School, where she is actively pursuing her dream of one day becoming an executive chef. Her desire is to not only infuse her Caribbean flavours into cooking but to also learn from the best in the field to be able to cater to the richly diverse Canadian population. She is also enrolled at the University Hill High School where she pursues academic studies.

My passion has always been food, as well as creating a positive work environments that inspire teams to be their best. I have spent my career in front of house operations, having been fortunate enough early in my journey to have strong female mentors who taught me that working in restaurants could be a viable path to success.This grant will help me pursue my goal of transitioning from a general manager position into a training and development and human resources role in hospitality.

Jennifer Ellan has had a passion for wine since watching her father and uncle make wine in her back yard as a child. During her 10 years working in the restaurant industry, Jennifer decided to pursue her wine studies with WSET. In 2019 she studied Viticulture at Okanagan College, followed by practical experience in the vineyard and also as a harvest hand. She is an aspiring Sommelier and an advocate for sustainable farming and winemaking.

Over the past decade or more, Tasha Gobeil has found herself working every position possible in a restaurant, from sous chef to front of house manager. She has a strong passion for food and beverage and is hoping to hone her skills even more through the generosity of the Les Dames Scholarship. By attaining her WSET2 course, she will be able to become well versed in the world of wines and spirits, becoming even more of an asset to her industry.

My love for the culinary tradition began in 2007 when I trained to become a Chef in Vancouver, BC. After spending a foundational year in Vancouver, I further refined my skills in kitchens throughout British Columbia and the UK. Continuing my culinary education and exchanging knowledge of food, culinary tradition, and kitchen skills ignites a joy in me that is comparable to nothing else.

Emily Lycopolus is a recipe developer, the author of seven cookbooks, and level two olive oil sommelier. She has a background in chemistry and cultural anthropology. She is the co-founder of eatcreative.ca, a food-driven creative content agency, and the creator of The Olive Oil Critic (oliveoilcritic.com) a website focused on olive oil education. Her family owns an olive grove in central Italy, where her love of olive oil began. She lives in Victoria, BC.

Rebecca is an apprentice working towards her Red Seal as a Professional Cook through the Camosun Culinary Arts Program. A recipient of the Service Excellence Scholarship in Honour of Tina Fineza, she is eagerly awaiting the chance to head to Two Rivers Meats in order to learn about the humane treatment of animals, nose-to-tail butchery, and the sourcing of sustainable ingredients. She aims to integrate this knowledge into her work and life and share it with others whenever given the opportunity.

Originally from Saskatchewan and now call Victoria home. I have worked in the industry for 15 years and looking forward to my next step of taking Food and Nutrition Management. I have lots of support from family and friends and that’s what drives me to succeed.

Lisa is a passionate wine industry professional, with experience in hospitality and beverage marketing, sales, and event management. Raised in New Zealand, Lisa chose to study marketing, but has always had a love for wine. It wasn’t until her move to Canada in 2008 that she began to pursue her formal wine education. Lisa has completed her WSET Level 3, and with the kind support of the Les Dames Scholarship, is delighted to continue her education with the French Wine Scholar.

Charlene Rooke is a Vancouver-based drinks journalist, consultant and educator. She is a certified WSET Spirits Educator and WSET Certified in Wine, an SWE Certified Specialist of Spirits and an artisan distiller, trained at Moonshine University in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the lead judge of the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition and currently the Drinks Editor for Food & Drink, the in-store magazine of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Reviewing the list of local restaurant closures, the Vancouver food scene is changing and many say its getting harder. Lisa Skelton retired from her own restaurant and sold The Wallflower in 2018. Currently attending UBC to become an engineer, Lisa wants to help provide future restaurateurs with innovative solutions. From automated S’more making machines (her current capstone project) to energy efficient cooking, Lisa wants to empower the next generation of food entrepreneurs.

Working in the industry for over 10 years, I have always thought about furthering my craft with education. Growing up as a kid we didn’t have much but what I always did have was food security. All my family knew how to cook, I learned how to make different types of eggs to learning how to bake bread at a very young age. I am so excited to work towards getting my red seel, I have realized that food is my passion.