Words

Kitchen skills: Syrian refugee preps a new dream in Algonquin’s culinary labs

Samir Masoud and his family arrived in Canada from war-ravaged Syria in the summer of 2016, knowing little of their new country, but happy to be safe.

A year later both Masoud and his wife were Algonquin graduates much closer to their dream of starting their own business in Ottawa.

The couple were among the first graduates of a unique college program, Culinary and Job Skills for Newcomers to Canada. The program, which combines food preparation courses with job readiness training, was designed specifically in response to the influx of Syrian refugees. Continue reading →

All the Right Ingredients: Baking grad having her cupcakes and eating them too

Baking was a part of Claudia Arizmendi’s life long before she emigrated from Mexico to Canada more than two decades ago. But turning her passion into a successful business took vision, determination, and a diploma from Algonquin College.

Arizmendi is the woman behind Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge, a popular specialty bakery with outlets in the Byward Market and Westboro. She has won awards for her entrepreneurship, and a loyal following for the sweet confections she bakes each day.

Algonquin, she says, “was a big, big part of all of this” Continue reading →