WATERLOO – Mount Forest teen Brodie Oliver is thanking his grandmother for the inspiration after he was part of a team that won a baking competition at Conestoga College that comes with a prize of free tuition.
“Since I could walk, I’d bake things with my grandmother. We’d make things for Christmas and holidays,” said Oliver.
The 17-year-old Wellington Heights Secondary School student is one of about 20 students in his dual-credit baking class at Conestoga who had the opportunity to take part in the competition.
The event, held on Oct. 24, was the first of its kind at the college.
It gave teens enrolled in the dual-credit culinary and baking programs an opportunity to show off their skills and compete for a grand prize of a full year’s tuition – valued at approximately $4,500.
Oliver, a Grade-12 student, said he started the dual-credit baking program after some false starts in some other skilled trades-related courses.
“I had tried out a couple of different career paths in the trades,” he said, noting he didn’t like the other trades he tried.
In a conversation with his high school guidance counsellor, he mentioned enjoying baking with his grandma, and the guidance counsellor suggested the dual-credit program.
Oliver now goes to Waterloo one day a week to take part in an all-day class at the college.
“I just bake that whole time,” he said.
While he’s baking, he’s earning himself two high school credits and two credits toward his college diploma.
When he learned about the baking competition, he signed up, thinking, “If I win, I’ll go to Conestoga.”
He also thought the competition sounded like fun.
“I thought it would be a cool experience even if I didn’t win,” Oliver said.
But the competition wasn’t a solo event – “They partnered us up,” he explained.
His partner, Bridgit Kleinboeck, is a student at Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute, and though she is in his class at Conestoga, he doesn’t know her well and had never even spoken to her before the competition.
“It was kind of a big challenge to have to work with someone I don’t know at all,” Oliver said.
“It did work out well, but we were both kind of nervous.”
Of all the things Kleinboeck and Oliver had to bake for the competition, Oliver said these lemon cookies with a jam filling were a favourite with his family. Submitted photo
They had to bake four different items for the competition – puff pastries, lemon pound cake, chocolate pecan scones and lemon sugar cookies with raspberry jam filling – to be judged on taste, technique, cleanliness and teamwork.
“They gave us the recipes, so we could practise at home,” Oliver said, adding their instructor also allowed them some class time to practise baking the sweet treats.
Beyond working with a relative stranger, the biggest challenge of the competition was executing all four recipes – four different doughs or batters, four different icings – at the same time, with attractive garnishes and presentation, under a time limit, he said.
“We only had three hours to do it all,” he said.
In those three hours, they managed to pull off the win, earning the free tuition prize, as well as a professional knife kit from Canada Cutlery, the College’s cutlery supplier and an event sponsor.
Brodie Oliver, left, and Bridgit Kleinboeck show off the knives they won in a competition at Conestoga College. They also won the grand prize of a year of free tuition. Submitted photo
Oliver said the tuition prize “takes so much stress off” his plans for school.
“Removing a barrier like tuition has enabled students who may not have the means to pursue post-secondary education to reassess their opportunities,” stated Brad Lomanto, Conestoga School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts chair, in a news release about the event.
“This initiative aims to provide those students with an incredible opportunity and to raise awareness about the diverse pathways and opportunities within the hospitality and culinary field.”
Oliver said he hopes to study at Conestoga next year, commuting to the city from Mount Forest, so he can keep his part-time job at No Frills while he’s in school.
When he finishes the program, he hopes to open his own bakery, he said.
“I’d like to do it in Mount Forest, because that’s where my family is from, and Mount Forest doesn’t have a bakery right now,” he said.
Cookies and breads are among the wares he hopes to offer for sale in his bakery, Oliver said.
“Bread and cookies are the things I enjoy making the most,” he said.
A family favourite are the lemon cookies he was required to make for the competition, he said.
“My family loves them, and they’re really good,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to his family, in particular his grandma, as well as his girlfriend for encouraging him and supporting him in his efforts.
Along with Kleinboeck and Oliver, students Abby Renner and Tristan Palin also came away from the competition with grand prizes, having won in the culinary category.
Awards were presented at Conestoga’s student-run restaurant, Bloom, which recently won the 2024 Green Leadership Award from Kostuch Media Ltd.
