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The International Wine and Food Foundation of Canada is the Canadian charitable arm of the IW&FS that actually promotes excellence in the Culinary arts. This is done through the support of members and interested parties on a yearly basis with awards presented to the top Sommelier and top Chef in Toronto.
A Short History, The Beginnings of The Society’s Scholarships
In the spring of 1978 the North American Committee (later to become the Board of Governors of the Americas), made a grant of $2,000.00 to Bill Whiteacre as seed money to set up a Foundation, incorporating the name of the Society, and having the right to issue Canadian charitable receipts.
On the 28th of July 1978 the International Wine and Food Foundation of Canada was incorporated.
The inaugural Officers, all Members of the Toronto Branch, were J A William Whiteacre QC, President, Douglas S Colbourne CA, Treasurer and Michael Lambert Vice, President of the Four Seasons Hotel Chain as Secretary.
Four Seasons contributed the sum of $4,000.00 as further seed money which the Foundation has managed to keep as a credit in its accounts. A further sum of $4,000.00 was subsequently received from the estate of a IWFS Member, a former President of the Toronto Branch. It too is kept as a credit in the accounts of the Foundation.
In late 1978, the Foundation set up a scholarship program offering, annually, scholarships to the top graduate in the top apprentice chef’s course in the top educational institution in the Canadian cities where Branches of the International Wine and Food Society are located.
In the spring of 1979, the Foundation presented a Scholarship to the top graduate in the Culinary Management Course at George Brown College in Toronto, as the first such Scholarship given in the name of the Society anywhere in the world.
The first $200.00 came from the original $2,000.00 seed money and the balance was borne by the generosity of the members of our Toronto Branch in exchange for tax receipts issued by the Foundation.
The original grant of $2,000.00 has been replenished annually by BGA and is credited to the Branch Scholarships.
Today the Foundation also presents, annually, a similar Scholarship to the top graduate in the Toronto course of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. The Toronto Branch sponsors both a Chef’s Scholarship and a Sommelier Scholarship. Each winner receives a cheque for $500.00, the Foundation’s Medal and a framed Scholarship certificate.
The Foundation also presents similar Scholarships supported by other Canadian Branches of the Society.
Current Operations
The Toronto IW&FS Branch Members have taken on the responsibility for two Foundation Scholarships, one to the top graduate from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and the other for the top graduate in The Culinary Management Course at George Brown College.
The George Brown Chef’s School turns out about 1200 hospitality students a year and the IW&FS honours one of these aspiring young Chefs selected by the College each year with a scholarship toward their studies.
There’s no single school in Canada that dominates a profession as the George Brown Collage (GBC) Chef School dominates the professional cooking scene. It consistently receives the highest praise from fine dining establishments for its teaching quality, range of courses, and responsiveness to the needs of students and the industry.
An example, the IW&FS Culinary highlight in December ’09 was at Auberge du Pommier with a dinner created by Chef Jason Bangerter, a graduate of GBC.
The Foundation’s scholarship programme has been running since 1982.
While The Society as a whole subsidizes each of these scholarships by $200.00, the balance of the budgeted cost has to be raised by each branch locally.
The budgeted cost of our two scholarships is $1,150.00. After deducting our $400.00 in subsidies, our members must raise $750.00.
The funds are collected by our Branch, turned over to the Foundation and you, in turn, receive a tax receipt.
I am sure that you will agree that we, as gastronomes, are very fortunate to have these very bright young Canadians choosing to seek a career in a field all of us hold close to our hearts.
Sincerely,
The International Wine and Food Foundation of Canada.
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