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Vol. 5
No. 3
YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER - LANARK, NORTH LEEDS & GRENVILLE
MARCH 2018
SFDCI’s hospitality and tourism course building a reputation and expanding beyond the school walls
New Orleans Cajun crab cakes prepared by the Gr. 12 hospitality class for the Restless Redhawk Café at SFDCI. Photo credit: Sally Smith
Smiths Falls - Sally Smith editorial@pd gmedia.ca Walk through the front doors at Smiths Falls District Collegiate Institute (SFDCI), turn right, head to the double set of doors to the cafetorium, go through them and cross to the kitchen. Jeff Burns is there, Chef Jeff, that is. He’s the one in the red chef ’s coat, working with students (many who tower over him), teaching, talking them through deep frying, powdering, cutting, filling, using phyllo pastry, and other cooking techniques. The fourth Thursday of February was the re-opening of the Restless Redhawk Café for this term. Menu items included Jambalaya, Po’ Boy sandwiches with Cajun remoulade, and beignets with raspberry reduction for dessert. Burns stoked the energy of the students, gave instructions, kidded them, and worked steadily alongside the 12 to 15 there to get food out to café customers. Residents of Smiths Falls have probably noticed Chef Jeff at other events, too. He does his best to stay in the background and push his students to the fore, so if someone needs a catered event, he answers the call. He’s taken his students on gigs to the Heritage House Museum, the Lions’ Club, Open Doors, the Legion, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and last year’s Powwow on Duck and Turtle Islands in June. That was a big one for him,
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he’d never worked with bison before. If there’s a ‘best’ between beef or bison, Burns throws his hands in the air and says without a doubt it’s bison. Burns, 54, has been in the food business all his life. He remembers clearly when it started for him two days after turning 13. His brother called from the New York Restaurant in Brockville. He needed help. In return, Burns got free Chinese food and chocolate milk. After high school he enrolled in a managerial account-
ing course, didn’t like it much, headed to Houlihan’s in downtown Ottawa and then the NavCan Training Centre in Cornwall where he took on a lead cook position. “At that time, it was a rockin’ place,” he recalls, grinning. It was here the idea of teaching surfaced. “When I was working with Chef John from Cornwall Collegiate [at NavCan], we had a few of his students, as co-op students. All of them became paid employees. These kids were from less than ideal circum-
stances. They all said I should become a teacher because I got them to listen and they didn't listen to (expletive) anyone, other than Chef John.” Burns learned a lot there, got his Red Seal certification, went to St. Lawrence College to learn to become an educational assistant, was accepted at Queen’s University where he pursued technical education and from there, after applying for three jobs (he was accepted at all three), he got the call to come back “to the neighbourhood
Jared Ruttan and Adam Lefebvre about to slip beignets into the deep fryer. Photo credit: Sally Smith
where I grew up.” He came to Smiths Falls. The course is formally called Hospitality and Tourism. It starts in grade 10 and goes to grade 12, with an emphasis on food service. The course calendar describes it like this: “Students study culinary techniques of food handling and preparation, health and safety standards, the use of tools and equipment, the origins of foods, and event planning…" continues on page 4
Beloved tree in Perth’s Stewart Park to come down Perth - Submitted editorial@pd gmedia.ca
Perth’s historic Stewart Park is home to many beautiful trees, open green spaces, and majestic views. A very central part of the park has been a large Silver Maple tree in the section of the park between the Little Tay River and the Bandstand. This tree has provided shade for many Stewart Park Festival goers for many years and is sometimes referred to as “Jessie”. Unfortunately, Jessie lost a major part of her trunk several years ago in a wind storm, which has resulted in the deterioration of the health of the tree. Local arborists have completed an analysis of the tree and have reported poor structural attachment large wounds, and decay and hollows evident around the trunk and
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where the one large branch previously existed. To protect the safety of the public, it has been decided that the tree must be removed. Town staff along with the arborists will inspect the wood from the tree limbs and the stump to determine if any of it can be used to create a lasting memorial in the park such as a bench or a table. Perth Mayor John Fenik, says, “It is sad to see this tree removed, however it is essential to ensure public safety. Council and staff are committed to keeping Stewart Park a majestic location in the heart of the town.” Arborists will be on site on Thursday, March 15 to take down the tree. The public is asked to stay clear of Stewart Park during this time to ensure that the tree can be removed safely. This large tree will be replaced by at least three new trees in Stewart Park.
Photo credit: Submitted
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