(04/25/05)

Metro Toronto Convention Centre's Executive Chef Fernandes Honoured By Industry for Lifetime Achievement

TORONTO, April 25, 2005 – The Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s (MTCC) Executive Chef, Angelo Fernandes, has been honoured for his lifetime achievements and contributions to the industry by the Ontario Hostelry Institute (OHI).

Chef Fernandes, who has been operating the MTCC’s food services and kitchens since the Centre’s opening 21 years ago, was named an OHI Fellow at the Institute’s annual Gold Awards Dinner in gala award ceremony held April 14 th at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel. Chef Fernandes was one of only 10 people from the industry inducted as members of the Institute. The event was attended by more than 500 senior leaders of the foodservicehospitality industry.

The tradition of inducting individuals from the industry as Fellows was established by the Ontario Hostelry Institute in 1988. This is the 15 th anniversary of the ‘honour’ and approximately 120 people have been celebrated to date. The award of OHI Fellow recognizes men and women who have achieved significant professional success and have truly made a difference in the industry. Considered a great honor within the industry, the Fellows are selected through an informal process of nominations put forward to the Institute by members of the hospitality industry.

“These outstanding men and women simply must be honored and recognized, said J. Charles Grieco, Chair and President of the Ontario Hostelry Institute. “They best demonstrate excellence and professionalism, along with unwavering support of industry-specific training and professional institutional education which forms the foundation of a formal culinary and hospitality education.

“Chef Fernandes is a shining example of the excellence we seek to encourage in our industry,” he added. “Anyone who can deliver that many meals, up to 5000+ at one sitting in the time with quality he does, more than deserves this award. And he’s been doing it for years while training countless apprentices!” he added.

At the MTCC, Chef Fernandes oversees a full-time team of approximately 25 chefs, cooks and other kitchen staff in the Centre’s large in-house kitchens. He designs distinctive and original menus for each client event hosted by the Centre, overseeing the creation of up to 10,000 freshly prepared meals each day. “I really love the challenge here. The bigger the challenge, the better for me,” said Chef Fernandes. Of being named an OHI Fellow, he added, “It means a lot to me and I’m very honored to be selected. It’s great to be recognized by my peers in this way.”

This is not the first time Chef Fernandes has taken top honors. He has earned international recognition
for his culinary excellence multiple times, including 6 Gold medals and a Grand Gold as a member of the Toronto team at the 1988 Culinary Olympics in Munich, Germany and a Silver medal from the National Restaurant Association in Chicago. As a member of the Escoffier Society, he was one of the ten chefs from Toronto invited to create a Canadian banquet for the World Economic Summit held in Davos, Switzerland in 1987.

“We are very, very proud to have Chef Fernandes in charge of the MTCC’s delicious menus and kitchens,” said MTCC President & CEO Barry Smith. “Our goal is to provide each client and their guests with the best possible experience during an event. Thanks to Chef Fernandes and his team, we are able to provide creative, first-class dining experiences each and every time. We are very lucky to have him!”

About the OHI

The Ontario Hostelry Institute was established in 1977 by a broad cross-section of culinary, tourism and hospitality industry leaders concerned over the scarcity of well-trained and educated hospitality professionals. Today, the Institute undertakes various projects whose primary objectives are to serve as catalysts in raising standards of post-secondary hospitality programs and presenting the industry as an attractive and fulfilling life-long career choice; to serve as an advocate for the industry in matters relating to post-secondary education and training including apprenticeship; and to promote and recognize professional excellence in Canada’s food service-hospitality industry. The OHI notes that HospitalityTourism is the world’s largest and fastest-growing industry. For more information visit www.theohi.ca