New Polytech program prepares students to cook in health care setting

Prince Albert -

A new culinary program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic aims to prepare students for a career cooking in a health care setting.

The Health Care Cook program is a 39-week, full-time certificate program designed by the Sask. Polytech in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. It teaches students general cooking skills, menu planning, nutrition, kitchen operations, and more.

“There’s lots of other great options available like penitentiaries or daycares or schools because you do have that specialized nutrition knowledge that is necessary in those areas. But it is geared towards working in the health authority,” said Leanne McFarland, program head for Sask. Polytech’s Food & Nutrition Management and Health Care Cook programs.

The new program is offered at the school’s Prince Albert and Moose Jaw campuses.

McFarland says while they started the program last year, this will be the first time they have students who signed up for it.

“So last year, a lot of our students were actually already Saskatchewan Health Authority employees. And so these students were getting their certificate again to ensure they have that specialized nutrition knowledge,” said McFarland.

“This is sort of the first year where we have a majority of students who are taking the full-time program where they are going to be looking for jobs when they are done.”

The program has attracted students from in and out of Canada who are passionate about cooking.

Reanna Hawkins found out about the program from her co-workers, and when she looked into it further, she knew she had to sign up.

“I love just being able to cook and be able to give that nutritious food back to the community and this program is teaching me how to be able to do that,” said Hawkins.

“It goes deep into where we learn how to make nutritious food for clients and patients. Compared to other programs, we learn that nutrition is the top of the line in being able to get our patients better.”

Opeyemi Erese is also taking the program. She moved to Canada from Nigeria in 2021.

Erese says the program has been teaching her things she didn’t expect.

“When I saw the program, I felt like ‘okay, it would just be cooking,’ because I already love cooking. And then I started the program and I noticed it’s a little bit more than cooking, there’s a lot of technicalities to it and I’m loving it,” said Erese.

“It’s not just cooking. It’s cooking in a healthy way which involves food safety mostly, the ingredients we use, the methods we use to ensure that the produce is much more healthy. We don’t just use convenience products. We mostly cook stuff from scratch.”

Both students said their end goal after they complete the program is to give back to the community through food.

“My passion in life is to make healthy meals, make people happy. Because honestly, where I work right now, the joy in people’s faces when they have good food is priceless,” said Erese.

Erese works at a long-term care facility. She says preparing healthy and good food that makes people happy is her contribution to the community.

At the end of the program, the SHA will provide 75 hours of work experience for all students in areas where jobs are available. The goal is to train them in a position for two weeks and essentially get a job once they have completed their hours.