In a quiet corner of the Garden Court Dining Room at Lethbridge Polytechnic, long after the lunch rush has ended, sits second-year Culinary Arts student Alex Masson. A wireless mic peeks from the front of his chef whites, and bright lights frame the shot as he fixes his gaze at the interviewer just off camera. While he’s far from his comfort zone – the rhythm of the kitchen – Masson has agreed to be quizzed on his program, his future goals and how the polytechnic is providing him invaluable connections to the local food industry.
It’s all part of a video project facilitated by Alberta on the Plate and the Alberta Hospitality Association to spotlight the vibrant food systems that shape the province’s culinary landscape. The first episode in the short-form series Alberta’sFood Story: From Soil to Service premiered in February for Canada’s Agriculture Day. Each video aims to reconnect viewers with the origins of their food, celebrate the people behind it and inspire conscious choices that support local economies and ecosystems.
“Lethbridge Polytechnic is deeply woven into southern Alberta’s food community,” says Rheannon Green, director of Finer Details at Food Tourism Strategies. “The Culinary program doesn’t just teach skills – it connects students directly with local producers and restaurants, grounding them in the relationships that will shape their careers and strengthen the region’s food system. Many alumni have gone on to open restaurants and build their careers locally, continuing to mentor students and contribute to a vibrant, resilient food community in southern Alberta. These connections made Lethbridge Polytechnic’s story one that absolutely needed to be shared.”
The institution’s video, “Learning in the Landscape: Growing Community at Lethbridge Polytechnic,” was released on March 10 and highlights the experiences of three individuals: Masson; Chef Stephen Klassen (Culinary Careers 2001, Professional Cooking 2000), chair of the polytechnic’s School of Culinary Arts; and Chef Kristy Olsen (Baker Apprenticeship 2023, Cook Apprenticeship 2015, Culinary Careers 2013), owner of Eden Restaurant in Raymond, Alta.
In their interviews, they all describe the connectedness of the food community and how the polytechnic’s hands-on learning, industry partnerships and real-world collaborations have molded them into the chefs they are and the chefs they aspire to be.
From mastering meat cutting and sweet and savoury techniques to serving hundreds in the Food Court, Culinary Arts students at Lethbridge Polytechnic experience every side of the industry. In the Garden Court Dining Room, they craft fine dining meals, and across campus, they help cater a variety of events – from small lunches to 500-person banquets – gaining hands-on experience at every turn. And it all happens in the heart of Alberta’s food community.
“We have a strong tie with our local producers here in Canada’s Premier Food Corridor, especially in our dining room,” says Klassen. “We like to use local producers so the students can see where the food comes from. Sometimes, we do field trips so they can actually meet the producers and see how they harvest, or how they grade their crop and then they bring it back and serve it in the dining room.”
That community connection takes centre stage each April, when the polytechnic hosts – in partnership with Economic Development Lethbridge and Canada’s Premier Food Corridor – the Local Producers Dinner Gala. The event features a trade show with regional agricultural producers followed by a curated, elevated multi-course buffet dinner prepared by Culinary students that highlights local ingredients. The gala showcases the region’s agricultural talent and provides an invaluable opportunity for students to prepare and execute a menu for the occasion.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize where food comes from, that it just magically shows up at the grocery store and they don’t realize it comes from southern Alberta,” Klassen says. “There’s so much in southern Alberta – from south of Calgary to the B.C. and Saskatchewan borders – all that food comes from our little area here, so showcasing that and educating people on what’s here is huge.”
And students don’t have to look far to apply the farm-totable philosophy in their day-to-day learning. Some of their freshest local ingredients come directly from the campus greenhouse in the polytechnic’s Integrated Agriculture Technology Centre.
“It was kind of breathtaking,” Masson recalls of his first trip to the greenhouse, just a short walk south of the Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility. “There’s so much there – you would think it’s just a local little greenhouse, and then you see rows of bins filled with peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis and eggplants.”
Researchers grow vertical rows of produce for their own data-gathering purposes and then donate the bounty to Culinary students, the Lethbridge Polytechnic Students’ Association Food Bank and any employees interested in taking some of it home. It’s a small but tangible example of the community food can create – at any scale.
These lessons around building community and local sourcing have stayed with Olsen long after graduation. She carried them into kitchens all over Canada and abroad, and eventually back home to Raymond at her 124-year-old manor-turned-restaurant.
Eden Restaurant offers a private, five-course dining experience tailored to small groups of six to 18 guests and thoughtfully crafted menus that feature luxury ingredients and seasonal, local produce.
“I grew up on a farm around here,” Olsen shares. “Now, [with my restaurant], I get to highlight a lot of ingredients and farmers and ranchers that I grew up around.”
Another perk of being back home, and close to her alma mater, Olsen says, is getting to engage regularly with Culinary students. She has a full-time sous chef, Sue Cahoon (Cook Apprenticeship 2025), who is also a second-year Baker Apprentice, while other students visit the restaurant on various days to interact and learn.
Olsen is also president of the Culinary Federation – Lethbridge branch. Several polytechnic instructors, including Klassen and Chef Amara Goodsell (see “From Our Kitchens” on p. 34), are board members as well.
“I can’t imagine not having a relationship with everybody in there,” Olsen says. “It’s a very comforting thing to just walk up to chefs and see what’s going on. They’ll tell you about the students … they’re so proud of what they’re learning and how they’re growing and evolving, and they can’t wait to share stories and let you know who to watch out for.”
That emphasis on personal connections between students, instructors and industry reflects the close-knit southern Alberta food community of which they are all a part.
“We build personal relationships with all of our students while they’re here, getting to know who they are,” says Klassen. “We work with them one-on-one every day, and then when they’re done and when they’re graduated and successful, we still hold that relationship with them as colleagues and peers.”
And that effort isn’t lost on students.
“You learn how [our instructors] want to change the industry,” says Masson. “I’m learning how to become a better chef from people who have learned more … and they’re setting this incredible example for how we can work locally and how we can support locally.”
Watch “Learning in the Landscape: Growing Community at Lethbridge Polytechnic” by visiting AlbertaOnThePlate.com.
