Chef Riley Bennett, CCC

Riley Bennett,
CCC
Professor

Biography

Chef Riley Bennett began his culinary journey on his family farm and restaurant in British Columbia at age 9. Once graduating high school, he moved to Calgary, Alberta to pursue his passion and love for cooking. He enrolled in the one-year professional cooking program at SAIT. Chef Bennett has worked with some of the top chefs in the country, from supporting Culinary Team Canada and Culinary Team Alberta to competing provincially, nationally and internationally in both hot and cold food competitions. Chef Bennett has worked in locally driven and slow food restaurants where being a steward of the land is at the forefront, including, but not limited to, Sooke Harbour House and Mission Hill Family Estate Winery as well as through his entrepreneurial adventures in catering. Chef Bennett has been with George Brown Chef School since 2011 where he began as a Chef Technologist at The Chefs House, before becoming a full-time Professor at George Brown Chef School in 2016. The ‘thrive to learn’ and always push himself out of his comfort zone is integral and the philosophy of life-long learning has Chef Bennett currently enrolled at the University of Guelph in the discipline MBA in Sustainable Commerce.

Academic Credentials

Certified Chef de Cuisine, Culinary Institute of Canada, 2014

Interprovincial Red Seal Cook, 2002

Interprovincial Red Seal in Baking / Patisserie 2014

MBA in Sustainable Commerce Candidate

Areas of Specialization

Culinary Management (H100) Integrated

Culinary Management (H116)

Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Culinary Management) (H315)

Areas of Expertise

Molecular Cuisine

Food Science and Nutrition

Sustainable Commerce

Other Activities

Coach and Mentor - Tastes Canada Cooks the Books

Mentor, Coach and Judge - Hawksworth Youth Scholarship Competition

Co-coordinator - Tastes of Tomorrow 2015-2016

Chef Coordinator - Pueblo Fundraiser; raising awareness for science in schools of developing countries; off-site catering