19 year-old Tla-o-qui-aht chef chosen to join prestigious culinary team

Ottis Crabbe will join Culinary Youth Team Canada at the IKA/Culinary Olympics in 2024

By

●

, ,

●

Tla-o-qui-aht chef Ottis Crabbe has been selected to join a prestigious Canadian culinary team that will compete internationally in the food world’s version of the Olympics.

Now a part of Culinary Youth Team Canada, 19 year-old Crabbe discovered his love for cooking when he was just 13 — working at the Abbondanza pizza restaurant owned and operated by his parents in Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Crabbe says he began by working the till at the restaurant, but soon found his way into the kitchen.

“Ever since the first day of working there I realized that I really want to be … a chef,” Crabbe says. “I was out of trouble and had something to focus on which, now, I am very thankful for.”

Crabbe took professional cooking courses at Vancouver Island University (VIU) as soon as he graduated high school, then went on to work at the European-Mediterranean Lake House Restaurant in Shawnigan Lake as a work placement.

While he was working there, he found out one of the VIU faculty members Jason Lloyd put his name forward for Culinary Youth Team Canada, and had a chance to interview.

When he found out he was accepted as part of the team, he was thrilled. 

“I kind of lost my mind,” he laughs.

“It was humbling to have that realization that I was going to be actually competing for Canada. I’m really honoured and still kind of star-struck by it.”

Culinary Youth Team Canada consists of nine young chefs, all graduates from culinary schools across the country.

The major event the team competes in is called the IKA/Culinary Olympics — an international event where 24 junior national teams from countries around the world compete.

The teams take part in timed events, such as the “Restaurant of Nations,” where teams have five hours to prepare a three-course meal for 65 people. The Culinary Olympics are scheduled to take place in Germany in 2024, with plans pending due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Crabbe will begin training with the other selected team members and keep practicing until the time comes to compete. He says he continues to stay inspired by the foods of other cultures, including traditional Indigenous cuisine.

“I want to cook so many things,” he says. “I think my favourite thing to cook is something I haven’t made before. Something I get to have a brand new experience about.”

Currently, Crabbe is still a student at VIU in the Culinary Management diploma program and will graduate this spring. His father took the same course, he says, so he is proud to be following in his footsteps.

Lloyd, VIU’s acting associate dean for Applied Trades and Technology and former program chair for the Culinary Arts program, says Crabbe will be the first student chosen to join Culinary Youth Team Canada in at least a decade.

“When Ottis came into our program, he came across as a very professional student straight from the start,” he says.

“I think it’s great for the institution, it’s great for the culinary program, it’s great for Ottis. It’s a win for everybody.” 

Author

Katłįà (Catherine) Lafferty, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.

Eden Fineday

And yet, I have hope for journalism because of the work we’re doing at IndigiNews.

At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.

As a registered charity, we are building a fire that allows our work not just to ignite but to thrive. Rather than relying on advertising or corporate acquisition, IndigiNews is sustained by people like you who believe Indigenous stories are important for the future of our communities.

Your support is making a real difference.

Our community of supporters, our Firekeepers, make it possible to grow our newsroom, publish award-winning journalism, train emerging Indigenous journalists through initiatives like the ReFocus Photojournalism Fellowship, and publish trustworthy stories that serve our communities across the country. Every story we publish helps fill in gaps left by mainstream media and ensures Indigenous perspectives are represented with care, accuracy and respect.

But there is still more work to do.

As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.

That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Firekeeper.

Firekeepers tend to and protect the sacred fire. Your monthly contributions directly support IndigiNews’s Storytelling Lodge, helps sustain our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom, and ensures future generations of Indigenous storytellers have the resources they need to do the work.

As a registered Canadian charity, all eligible donations receive a charitable tax receipt.

If you believe Indigenous stories matter, if you value independent journalism, and if you want to help build a strong future for Indigenous media, we invite you to join our circle of Firekeepers today.

Together, we can keep the fire burning.

— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews

Support us now

Latest Stories