May 25, 2016

George Brown College’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (CHCA) is an essential educational institution for students wishing to pursue a career in the Baking and Pastry Arts field. 

On April 15, 2016 it was announced that Redpath Sugar will be donating $360,000 to George Brown’s CHCA over three years. This donation will support the construction of a baking lab at the college.

The large-quantity baking and pastry lab, located in Toronto, Ontario, will be an addition to the four current pastry labs and will be named the Redpath Sugar Lab. It will provide a state-of-the-art space for students to advance their skills and an environment for industry experts to preform research and development on their products.

Plans for construction are already in progress - Christine Walker, academic chair for George Brown’s Chef school noted that the Redpath Sugar Lab will be different than the current labs at the college and will provide students with a new style and set-up.

Concepts for an enclosed temperature-controlled chocolate and candy room are also underway. This will offer students all the necessary space to create delicate confectionaries, as well as product testing and development for industry advancements.

A portion of Redpath’s donation will go directly to support students through scholarship funding for the Baking and Pastry Arts Management, the Baking Pre-employment and the Baker/Patissier programs offered at the CHCA. Throughout a period of three years, 45 awards of $1,000 will be granted to eligible students.

The lab is set to open in the fall of 2017, with construction beginning this spring. Overall, this donation will support the expansion of the baking and pastry arts facilities at George Brown College, with hopes to help the college produce some of the best graduates in the baking industry.