GBC and the Consulate General of India host culinary and fashion student competitions

George Brown College (GBC) hosted culinary and fashion student competitions earlier this month in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Toronto. 

The competitions were part of a collaboration between George Brown College and the Consulate General of India in Toronto and celebrated two sustainable Indian exports, khadi fabrics and millet, as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has recognized 2023 as the International Year of Millets. 

The event was attended by GBC students, staff, faculty, and community members, as well as event sponsors including Siddartha Nath, Consul General of India in Toronto, and Ritesh Malik, Chair of the Canada India Foundation. 

Students from GBC’s Chef School and School of Fashion and Jewellery presented their dishes and designs to judges on November 3 to compete for a prize pool of $10,000, supported by the Consulate General of India in Toronto, the Canada India Foundation, and George Brown College. 

GBC students presented their millet and khadi creations to a panel of judges including GBC President, Dr. Gervan Fearon, Shuban Krishen, Consul (Commerce, Political) and CSO at the Consulate General of India in Toronto, Tara Montgomery Ferguson, Chair of the GBC Chef School, and Franco Mirabelli, Designer in Residence at GBC’s School of Fashion and Jewellery. 

The judges awarded the first-place prizes to Christine Cousineau, a student in the H134 Culinary Skills program, for her millet dish, and Earl Policarpio, a student in the F113 Fashion Techniques and Design program, for his “East meets West” inspired khadi designs. 

“At George Brown College through our Brookfield Sustainability Institute, we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to aid in our fight against climate change. And that is one reason I am so pleased that we are able to partner with the Consulate General of India, who have been outstanding colleagues and friends to the college,” said GBC President Dr. Gervan Fearon. “Through this competition, we are exploring a deeper and longer-term partnership with India, a nation of particular importance to George Brown College and the city in which we live and learn, and indeed to Canada. I must emphasize that I am optimistic about the future and that our connections will continue, and grow.”