White Spot seeing Red Seal

VANCOUVER—In a first for the industry, British Columbia restaurant chain White Spot has announced an in-house pilot project to offer the full Red Seal apprenticeship program to its chefs.

Red Seal certification is the industry standard for Canadian chefs and a recognized indication of quality.

At present, Red Seal training is only offered at post-secondary institutions, but starting in September, White Spot chefs will work with the company’s executive chef Chuck Currie to achieve the certification.

"Our culture of continually enhancing the level of our food and service is evident in every thing we do,” said White Spot president Warren Erhart in a statement.
“Our unique Red Seal program is yet another way we are evolving to bring a great food experience to each one of our guests."

White Spot currently offers its chefs a Red Seal skills upgrading program but running the full certification is unheard of in the industry.

Leading the program is White Spot Chef de Cuisine James Kennedy, the company’s corporate training chef, in partnership with go2, a hospitality industry training organization.

"Many of the employees enrolled in the upgrading program have a range of experience and we are working with them to perfect their culinary skills and techniques," Kennedy said.

"One of our primary goals is to provide training opportunities to our team in order to enhance the overall White Spot experience for our guests and our employees. Both the skills upgrading program and this exciting new pilot program allow us to do so."

In taking the program in-house, White Spot is looking to offer an additional perk to current and prospective chefs who are in high demand thanks to the labour shortage plaguing the hospitality sector across the country.

"Recruiting talented people with culinary credentials is quite difficult in today's labour climate," said Arlene Keis, chief executive officer of go2.

"Through the Red Seal certification programs, White Spot chefs are given the opportunity to learn and grow on the job while working towards a nationally-recognized and well-regarded certification.”

She said the move demonstrates the company’s dedication to its employees and the quality of food it serves its guests.

White Spot currently boasts 18 Red Seal certified chefs among its staff. Another 47 are set to complete the skills upgrading program by the end of 2008.