Stratford Chefs School celebrating 40 years with gala and auction at Elora Mill

Eleanor Kane knew what it took to run a successful restaurant.

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But the former co-owner of The Old Prune, along with two of Stratford’s other culinary giants, could see more than four decades ago that local establishments were having challenges building their cooking teams.

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“There weren’t enough people who knew anything about running restaurants and hospitality,” she said.

So Kane, Joe Mandel and Jim Morris – owners of the Church Restaurant and Rundles, respectively – came up with a concept to train the next generation of restaurateurs that would maintain high standards of cooking, service and work environment.

The ingredients were there for the Stratford Chefs School, which next month is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

“If you’re working in the industry, like the three of us were, there’s a tremendous investment you put into it, and you want to assure the people who are working with you that there is some longevity and there is a possibility you can have a good career at a restaurant,” Kane said. “We worked hard to create a really solid format that we believed would work, and it worked. It was the right thing at the right time.”

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Like most new ideas, the school needed help to launch. They found some in John Evans, the director of Stratford’s Canada Manpower agency. Evans liked the concept and promised to find money for the group.

“Given what it looked like the government support would be, we knew exactly what we needed to do in terms of raising money from our supporters,” Kane said. “(Evans) liked the idea and thought it would be great for the city and province.”

The trio recruited 35 students for the first class, most of whom were from out of town and even the US Teachers like Bryan Steele, Neil Baxter and John Becks were brought in to share their knowledge and later made their marks as chefs at Stratford restaurants.

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Students rotated through The Old Prune, the Church Restaurant and Rundles, and were encouraged to work in the industry between school components that focused on all culinary elements.

“It’s not just the cooking side,” Kane said. “That was an important part of the program. It’s one thing to have theory and a bit of skill, but if you’re put in a busy kitchen, you’ve gotta be ready for it.”

The school has faced challenges since its inception. A $500,000 loan from the city, which was paid back in 2023, allowed it to build a fully autonomous restaurant downtown close to seven years ago and saved it from closing after operating out of The Prune, which was being sold. The COVID-19 pandemic has also hurt recruitment and affected the entire culinary industry, especially as food prices continue to rise.

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“It’s had an extremely negative impact, and it’s never recovered,” said Kane, who retired from the school in 2013. “Restaurants are struggling.

“People are leaving the industry, and there’s not that (same) excitement.”

Since the first graduates in 1985, the school has nearly 900 alumni, many of whom have carved out successful culinary careers around the world, including Stratford.

The school, a not-for-profit apprenticeship program that mostly relies on donations and dinner services for funding, is commemorating its 40th anniversary March 10 at the Elora Mill, where it will also honor the graduating class of 2024.

“It was a hope the project would be successful, and it certainly took off,” Kane said. “We had every intention of staying with the run and making it better every year. We invested a lot of time and energy into it.”

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IF YOU GO

What: Stratford Chefs School 40th anniversary gala dinner and auction

Where: Elora Mill, 77 Mill St. W., Elora

When: March 10 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Details: The evening will include bubbly and hors d’oeuvres, a multi-course Stratford Chefs School dinner with curated wines, silent and live auction of unique items and experiences.

Cost: Tickets are $225

More info: Visit stratfordchef.com

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