Why Donate?
Stratford Chefs School is a not-for-profit career college focused on the innovative, hands-on training of high quality, aspiring chefs and culinary entrepreneurs.
This model has enabled the Stratford Chefs School to both set and maintain a high standard of excellence for its culinary training program, a program whose graduates have made significant contributions to the development of a distinctive Canadian cuisine.
We appreciate that the success and longevity of the culinary program offered by the Stratford Chefs School would not be possible without the enduring support of a generous community. We recognize that strong bonds have been built between the School and the local businesses, organizations, and individuals over the years – your contributions have helped keep the Stratford Chefs School and the richness of its educational program a reality for more than 800 graduates.
With your continued support, the Stratford Chefs School will maintain an unparalleled standard in the field of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality.
Financial contributions can be directed to several areas:
Campus Upgrades Fund
From 1983 through 2016, the School held part-time leases at two downtown restaurants—Rundles Restaurant and The Prune. Both of these restaurants were integral to our founding history and current success.
In 2017, the School opened two full-time teaching facilities in the heart of Stratford’s downtown. ‘The Kitchens’ houses two custom-built commercial teaching kitchens along with a dining room, and other necessary amenities. One block away, ‘The Learning Centre’ houses administrative office space and meeting space in addition to a large lecture room and library space.
Donations to our Campus Upgrades Fund will be allocated towards further development of the School’s physical infrastructure allowing Stratford’s culinary and tourism communities a place to forge and strengthen both new and existing industry connections.
Your generosity will allow our students, and by extension our community, to thrive. DONATE NOW
Curriculum Updates Fund
The Stratford Chefs School is continually evolving to meet the needs of its students and the culinary sector.
Donations to our Curriculum Updates Fund help to enrich every aspect the program for our students including: special events, alumni events and professional development initiatives which enable faculty to further their professional development.
Our International Chef in Residence and Canadian Guest Chef programs are also made possible through donations to our Curriculum Updates Fund. Both of these valued programs provide students with the once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a mentor’s cuisine while working and learning alongside them. For many of our students, mentor relationships that are forged during these programs often lead directly to internships, jobs, and other invaluable networking opportunities. DONATE NOW
Guest Chef and SCS Alumnus James Walt works with students in the SCS Kitchens.
Student Support Fund
Donations to our Student Support Fund help reduce the financial pressures faced by our students. Funds donated as part of this Fund are awarded to students through Scholarship, Award and Bursary programs.
Scholarships and Awards are granted in recognition of academic success and community involvement. Generally these are awarded at the end of the school year, at Graduation, however individual Scholarships can also awarded throughout the year.
Bursaries are awarded at the beginning of the school year, by application, on the basis of demonstrated financial need. These funds are designed to provide students with assistance in covering costs incurred by the requirements of the program: tuition, textbooks, accommodations, uniforms, knives, etc. DONATE NOW
Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence (JHGWIR) Fund
The widely loved Joseph Hoare, former food editor of Toronto Life magazine, was immensely supportive of young writers interested in food and gastronomy, writers such as James Chatto, Lucy Waverman and John Allemang. After Mr. Hoare’s death in 1997, his family chose to honour his lifelong passion for food and food writing by means of an endowment to the innovative Gastronomic Writer in Residence at Stratford Chefs School, then renamed the Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence program.
The Role of The Gastronomic Writer in Residence
• Leads workshops about food writing; provides one-on-one consultations with students who are interested in food writing; presents readings of his or her work to both students and the public.
• Contributes to a more well rounded education for students, a primary objective of the School
• Advances food writing as an important source of knowledge about food culture
• Helps engage the public to experience, enjoy and understand the gastronomy of our time
Donations to the Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer in Residence Program Fund will ensure the vibrancy of the Program is enhanced year after year.
Gabrielle Hamilton | Chef/Owner, Prune (New York) | JHGWIR 2015
Event Sponsorship Fund
Donations to our Event Sponsorship Fund support a variety of one-of-a-kind SCS Fundraising Events, giving Sponsors a range of unique opportunities to partner with the School community.