Grace was 21 when she competed alongside David Wong in 2009. Fascinated by culinary competition, which she viewed as an excellent way to progress both professionally and personally, she had taken part in the Canadian selection round for the Bocuse d’Or with another candidate who had not been chosen for Lyon. Having noticed her work, David Wong offered her the chance to accompany him in the venture.
She had also done voluntary work for the Canadian culinary team, and was able to acquire valuable experience for preparation of the Bocuse d’Or.
After the best commis chef prize, she followed up with a series of experiences, including a two-month internship at Joël Robuchon’s L’Atelier and two days in the company of Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence, two days that she considers to have been the best professional experience of her life.
After six years of uninterrupted work, among others as a teacher (she loves education, passing on knowledge…), she took a break and devoted her time to studying holistic cuisine to find out everything she could about the links between diet and health.
She then became Administrative Coordinator at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver. Her role involved welcoming students, working at reception, and assisting the chefs with their administrative tasks. She also helped the catering and marketing teams. She was delighted to work at this culinary arts school in particular.
Life also taught her that it wasn’t necessary to behave the way she did in her early days, in an environment where everyone wanted to become Gordon Ramsay, believing that the more exhausted you were, the better!
Today, she fully enjoys the happiness of being a fulfilled stay-at-home mother.
Her advice for commis chefs at the Bocuse d’Or: “Remember that it’s an honour to be where you are. What’s important is the experience itself, what you will learn before the big day. Absorb everything you can. Don’t just think about what you know how to do todyt, but what you’ll be able to do tomorrow thanks to this experience. And stay humble and kind…”
