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When D'Oyen Christie was a young boy growing up
in Jamaica, his mother baked and sold pastries out of
their home. Although he would
often help her, he never thought that when he grew up,
he would make desserts decadent enough for royalty.
But
the last time the Queen visited Victoria, BC in 2002,
it was Christie's pastry panache that she enjoyed while dining
at the Fairmont Empress hotel where he is the Executive
Pastry Chef.
"I just kept thinking, 'this little Jamaican boy is making
dessert for the Queen'," Christie says, looking back
on that memorable but nerve-wracking experience.
It's
an honour that he deserves, having dedicated much of
his life to the art of pastry making. While attending
high school in Jamaica, Christie took Home Economics despite
being one of only two boys in the
class and when he moved to Toronto at 17, he focused
on food and nutrition at Central Tech.
Christie's mother,
who worked in the pastry shop at the Royal York for 30
years, helped him get an apprenticeship
at the Holiday Inn City Hall where he worked alongside
Shing Yu, one of the most respected
pastry chefs in Toronto.
After a few years in the industry,
Christie decided to enroll in the Patissier Certificate
and Basic and Advanced
Baking Certificates at George Brown College, where his
mother had also taken courses. "I really enjoyed the
quality of teaching from the instructors. Everyday, I
learned something new,"Christie says. "The
program gave me a solid background to build on."
Since
graduating from George Brown in 1990, Christie has worked
for the King Edward Hotel, Movenpick Restaurants (now
called Richtree), Auberge Du Pommier, the Delta Lodge
at Kananaskis and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper,
Alberta.
Although his CV boasts an impressive list of
experience, Christie refuses to believe that he has
learned all there is to know about his craft as he continues to build
on
his George Brown education.
He has trained at Valrhona's Ecole du Grand Chocolat
in France and participated in workshops and seminars
at the World Pastry Forum. "Every time you go into a
different kitchen or a different part of the world, there's
at least one or two things
you can bring back,"says Christie. "In this industry,
sometimes people get ahead of themselves. When they
get to the top, they think
they're a star but there's always something more to
learn."His words of wisdom to aspiring pastry chefs is
simple: stay humble — even if your desserts are fit for the Queen.
Read more stories from George Brown Graduates...
We encourage you to visit the Alumni Association.
To learn more, visit the George
Brown College Alumni page.
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