Filipino culinary aspirant Chelsea Louise Villanueva has concluded the Canada-ASEAN Scholarship for Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) granted by The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).
Funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development, the fellowship provides qualified applicants from ASEAN with short-term exchange opportunities for study, or research in Canadian post-secondary institutions at the college, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
Facilitated through institutional collaborations, the open call for applications was cascaded by the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Halifax to its academic partner, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Manila, where Villanueva was then pursuing Culinary Arts under the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM).
A panel composed of Culinary Arts Chairperson Chef Margarita Marty, former International Hospitality Management (IHM) Chairperson Stephen Petranek, Practicum Advisor Jesus Mier Zapanta, and SHRIM Dean Marie Paz Castro deliberated on the selection for Villanueva.
A Benildean Student Envoy, an Academic and Service Scholar, and a consistent Dean’s Lister, she was chosen for her exemplary work and class ethics. She was likewise recognized for her outstanding skills and potential as a youth leader from her term as the co-promotions head of Chefs in Progress, the professional culinary organization of Benilde.
Through SEED, Villanueva enrolled in an extensive certificate course in Baking and Pastry Arts at the NSCC Kingstec Campus in Kentville in Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition to a full scholarship, her air ticket, travel insurance, fees for visa and permits were covered. She also received support for her books and kitchen tools.
During her eight-month course, she learned the latest global practices and technologies and reinforced her foundation for a professional career through hands-on and collaborative learning and mentorship activities.
She gained and elevated her knowledge to prepare a range of confectionaries, from cakes and tortes to cookies and cream-based desserts in advanced pastry laboratories, where production and speed levels were consistent with industry standards.
The artist in her was challenged as she trained to create classic European pastries, design chocolate and sugar showpieces, and plate her works for all types of dining.
Her term in NSCC urged her to impart her newly-learned skills as a tutor to the local students. She had the opportunity to be a part-time cake decorator in Sobey’s New Minas.
The scholar recalled how faith combined with professionalism gave her the inner strength to maximize the opportunity.
“I prayed to God during my highs and lows knowing that it was not easy to live in a different environment without my loved ones,” she said. “I would not have done it without the grace of God and the support from my family, friends, and professors in Benilde.”
She also expressed her gratitude to her Cuban host mom, Iliana Diaz, who guided her throughout her sojourn. Diaz, who was also once an international student herself, drove her to school, cooked her meals, and assisted her to open a bank account.
Villanueva concluded her NSCC journey with honors. Her biggest takeaway from her mentors, Chefs Annaleisa Scigliano and Jolene Dieterman, was to “go with the flow”.
“I used to pressure myself to do the best and to expect the worst,” she admitted. “They taught me how to be patient, to learn at my own pace, and to be the best without harming my mental health.”
Her advice to fellow dreamers echoed the Benildean slogan: Do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
“Do not compare yourself to other people,” she stated. “Always think that your only competitor is yourself. Find what you truly love because you cannot enjoy when you do not like whatever you’re doing.”
Upon graduating from NSCC, Villanueva was deployed to Fogo Island Inn, a five-star Relais & Chateaux property on an island off the Northeast coast of Newfoundland, for a four-month internship as Pastry Commis.
After her practicum, she returned to Manila to continue her remaining term in Benilde. She graduated Cum Laude.
Currently, she is back in Canada to work as a Pastry Commis en route to her ultimate goal to become the head pastry chef of a five-star hotel in Paris, France.
