Pair of GBC students represented Ontario at the 2023 Skills Canada National Competition after winning gold at the provincial competition. 

George Brown College (GBC) had an increased presence at the 2023 Skills Ontario and won five medals.  

Competitors from the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts won a gold and silver medal for Baking, another gold for Culinary Arts, and a third gold for restaurant services.  

The fifth medal was a bronze won by a competitor from the Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies in the Sheet Metal category. 

Chloe Nguyen, recent graduate of GBC’s Baking and Pastry Arts Management program and Negus King, first year student in the Culinary Management program were the competitors who won gold medals in the categories of baking and culinary arts. 

Nguyen came to Canada as an international student to study Hospitality Management six years ago. Since being laid off from work in the sector during the pandemic, she took up baking as a hobby. This series of events led to Nguyen going back to school to study baking and pastry arts. 

The 2023 Skills Ontario Competition was Nguyen’s first time in a professional culinary competition and was an experience filled with learning and growing as a baker.  

“Before I went to the competition, I thought it would just be a fun experience, I never thought that I could win,” said Nguyen. 

However, Nguyen’s win was not just a stroke of luck. She first had to compete within her class to be chosen as the GBC representative at the Skills Ontario competition. This was followed by weeks of training and preparation alongside her mentors chef Jennifer Lakhan D’Souza and chef Makus Elegino. 

It was also the first time for King. As a first-year student, he says he had extra nerves to calm.  

“The morning of [the competition], I said my prayers and “made my bed” then all the nerves went away. The term “made my bed” came from a motivational video on YouTube that my head coach, Chef Riley Bennett, told me he watched when he competed.” 

Their mentors guided Nguyen and King for 12 weeks prior to the provincial competition.  

King recalls calling his coach, Chef Sudathip ‘Brookie’ Phokamta, before his parents when the results were announced.  

“This is when I knew, right place, right time, the right team, right coaches. They taught me lots of skills that I will cherish forever. I can’t t

hank Chef Bennett enough, he believed in me from the very beginning. He always commended my hard work and attitude. Constantly saying that I cook with a smile on my face and never looks stressed.” 

Nguyen and King went on to represent Ontario in the 2023 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) this June. 

Nguyen said that the two competitions have helped her improve her speed of working and her organization skills during the

 process of baking.   

“It was very stressful because I had to compete with the best bakers from all over the country. But it was also a very fun experience where I could apply what I have learned in school and what I have been practicing for a long time,” she said. 

She also attributes her improved creative skills to the National competition. 

“In the national competition, we had a mystery ingredient that we didn’t know before. I had never worked with it before, so I had to come up with a recipe that tasted and looked good. Through trial and mistakes, I gained a lot of valuable knowledge and experience on how to use it properly.” 

Nguyen said that her time at GBC has helped her gain a solid foundation for her baking career. She the opportunity to represent the college and Ontario in the two competitions is a meaningful addition to her experience in the program.

“I really appreciate the opportunity and really appreciate what George Brown brought to my life and my career,” she said. 

Nguyen and King dream of achieving many things in their upcoming careers.  

For Nguyen, becoming a cake artist and opening her own studio or café in the future is on the top of the list.  

“I have to work hard and do whatever I can to make my dream a reality. I also plan to return next year to assist GBC with the Skills Ontario competition, hoping that my own experiences can help and inspire future competitors,” Nguyen said.  

While Nguyen has graduated from her program at GBC, King hopes to represent GBC once again in the Skills competitions next year.  

“My goal for next year is to win both the Provincial and National Skills competition,” he said.