Culinary students pose with char/ credit Okanagan College
fish tales

Handful of fish: OC students prepare donation for community

Mar 15, 2025 | 12:00 PM

Okanagan College (OC) culinary students had quite the catch on their hands when a whopping 2,000 pounds of Artic Char arrived in the College’s culinary school, waiting for them to prepare, earlier this year.

The generous donation from Road 17 Fish Farms provided the students with a hands-on lesson in large-scale food preparation as well as the benefits of supporting community. The fish were processed and vacuum-sealed by OC student chefs before being delivered to the Kelowna Gospel Mission.

“This is a generous donation from Road 17 Fish Farm, once the students cut and portioned the fish it will be donated to the Kelowna Gospel Mission to help feed those in need,” said Kelsey Oudendag, Culinary Arts Instructor in a media release.

The donation was facilitated when Road 17 Fish Farms reached out to the Kelowna Gospel Mission, which then contacted Okanagan College to see if their culinary students would be interested in preparing the fish. The College’s culinary team eagerly stepped up to assist, providing their students with valuable real-world experience in processing a large volume of fish.

“The student chefs are gaining hands-on skills that they will use in their work placements and when they graduate and join the industry,” said OC Executive Chef Ruth Wigman.

Applications are now open for the culinary arts program at Okanagan College, find out more and apply here.

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