George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Later this year, Luca Assad is set to make George Brown Polytechnic history as the first student from the school to make it to the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China. After winning gold in the Cooking competitions at Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions last year, she’s taking her chef powers global.
But before that, Assad will compete in Skills Canada again, and serve as a judge for Skills Ontario, two acts she refers to as fun practice.
“I get to eat a lot of food for two days,” she says with a grin, implying her turn as a judge. “No complaints!”
The competitive edge
Driven from a young age, when she avidly pursued acting and gymnastics while also dreaming of developing her own restaurant franchise, Assad chose to come to George Brown because it scratched her competitive itch. So it comes as no surprise that she’s amassed these accolades while only halfway through her Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Culinary Management) degree.
She also attributes this to the doors George Brown has opened for her and the connections she’s made.
“George Brown offers you so many paths to further your education and go the extra step, and it pays off,” she says. “Building your resume with clubs, activities, and competitions can help you go above and beyond if you really want to. If I only went to classes, I’d have a different experience.”
Now, between her busy schedule of school and work at the Michelin-recommended restaurant The Wood Owl, she has extensive training to prepare for the upcoming competitions. She’s been working her way through a year-long training plan for WorldSkills built for her by a culinary expert mentor, while also mentoring another student who will be competing for the podium at Skills Canada in May.
“Luca’s focus and professionalism truly set her apart,” says her advisor, Chef Professor and Program Coordinator Andrew Evans. “She consistently raises the bar for herself while being someone who her own peers look to for support and encouragement. She represents not only Canada, but culinary skill and creativity, leadership, integrity, and confidence that truly deserves to be recognized.”
Advice to remember
Assad’s approach coming to school is something she recommends for future students: be kind to yourself.
“I think people get too focused on perfection,” she says. “Don’t compare yourself to so many people and just have fun. You’re going to school to learn. You’re not supposed to know everything that you want to know going into it.”
For the love of food
Remarkably, cooking wasn’t something Assad was avidly doing at home before she came to school and realized her talent. But now, she wants to spend more of her spare time cooking with her mom, especially perfecting her favourite native Jamaican dish, ackee and saltfish.
And while her next two years are packed with training, competitions, mentoring, and trying to get involved with more activities such as the Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP), Assad is already dreaming of her future plans.
“After I graduate, I definitely want to travel a lot,” she says. “I want to work at different restaurants around the world and gain as much experience and knowledge as I can. Then I want to move to either New York or San Francisco, work in restaurants there, and then I definitely want to become a food critic when I’m older. I also want to volunteer, cooking for people in need. Food is the best thing in the entire world and then to be able to give that to people who don’t always have access feels great. Why not share my skills in a good way?”
Help Chef Luca get to Shanghai
Travelling across the world is a weighty ask for a young student, so Assad is running some fundraising efforts. You can experience her culinary expertise for yourself at the Black Futures Expo and Mentorship Fair on Tuesday, February 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Waterfront Campus. She will be selling toasted buttered chocolate chip cookies, a chocolate bark with pistachios and almonds, pretzel buns with cream cheese chive filling, and citrus shortbreads.
Follow Luca's journey to WorldSkills on Instagram
REGISTER FOR THE BFI EXPO AND MENTORSHIP FAIR
EXPLORE BLACK FUTURES MONTH PROGRAMMING
We asked Luca. What does Black Futures Month mean to you?
“When I was younger, I did gymnastics and it was not a very cultured sport. So from a very young age, I felt like I was the odd one out, and not seeing people like me in a career that I wanted to pursue. I didn’t really have anyone to look up to. Cooking is a similar demographic. So I’m really proud of myself for being here, making it so far as a Black person. So I hope that I can inspire people like me, like someone who is now 13 thinking about becoming a chef. You can be here and hold your own.”