Photos: Baking and Pastry Arts learners support gala to benefit food insecurity

Posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2026

Algonquin Baking & Pastry Arts learners are joined by the team at Tartelette Bakery, and faculty member Anne-Marie Milk.

Hands-on industry opportunities are core to the learner experience at Algonquin College, especially within the School of Business and Hospitality.

Partnerships and relationships with the local culinary community give learners the chance to literally get their hands dirty outside of the classroom, learn from leading industry experts and get an inside look at how a large-scale catering event operates.

On Monday, Oct. 26, La Tablée des Chefs, an organization founded in Longueuil, Que., hosted La Grand Tablée Ottawa, a philanthropic gastronomy event to help fight local food insecurity in the Ottawa and Gatineau regions. Three hundred guests were treated to a cocktail hour with passed canapés, followed by a five-course meal with wine pairings, prepared by local chefs. The event featured a silent auction and raffle prizes, raising $135,000 in one night to benefit organizations like the Ottawa Food Bank, the Ottawa Mission and Shepherds of Good Hope, among others.

Three hundred guests attended La Grande Tablée Ottawa on Oct. 26.

Three Algonquin College learners — Grace Brox, Addison Point and Ashley Ladoucer — supported the fifth course, dessert, led by Chef Sanaz Homa, owner, Tartelette Bakery & Café. Supervised by Anne-Marie Milk, Culinary & Hospitality faculty at Algonquin College, the learners worked alongside Chef Homa to prepare 300 individual portions of a pecan and maple tart served with caramel mousse.

Left: Ashley Ladoucer, Grace Brox and Addison Point assembling dessert. Right: Addison and Ashley pose for a photo at La Grande Tablée event

Addison Point adding finishing touches to dessert, alongside chef Sanaz Homa of Tartelette Bakery.

Additionally, learners Hailey Stevenson, Khole Villneff and Katina Szilvagyi assisted with preparing for the event at Tartelette Bakery, working production shifts ahead of the event.

La Tablée des Chefs is an organization that has a strong history of partnering with Algonquin College’s School of Business and Hospitality to prepare more than 2,000 meals for those in need over mid-term break week for the past three years. Students can receive credit for their time volunteering in extracurricular events like this.

The other participating chefs received support from learners at Le Cordon Bleu, Collège La Cité, l’École hôtelière de l’Outaouais and École polyvalente Nicolas-Gatineau for each course.