Client Stories

If you were to Google popular New Year’s Resolutions, “getting healthy” would be on top of most lists. Often times, getting healthy starts in the kitchen, and knowing how to cook can make a world of difference. Michael Hanna, a client in our PACE program, has been taking the Professional Cooking program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and says that taking a class can be a real help.

A student of the program since September 2012, Michael originally wanted to be a professional soccer player. He did not mind cooking when he was younger, but it was not until recent years that he decided it would make a good career, and could be a lot of fun. “We cook all day,” explained Michael, adding that the program teaches different styles of cooking, as well as how to serve in a restaurant setting.

Hanna does not have a favourite dish to prepare, but his favourite food to eat is duck. Although he enjoys a bit of sweetness in his diet, he does not care too much for dessert. His advice to anyone interested in learning how to cook, or expanding their current skill set, is to start by experimenting in their own kitchen. “Taking a course is very helpful,” he adds.

Recently, Michael passed the Professional Internship and Food in Wine Pairing course, obtaining  an A+ on both courses. He also passed Communication Skills in the Workplace with an above average mark. After he graduates in the spring, Michael intends to work for two years before taking the examination to obtain his red seal.

PACE client Tanice McMinis has always had an eye for detail. At four years old, she was re-making her bed after her mother had straightened the sheets. At ten, she was sketching characters from her favourite movies with impressive accuracy. Now, as a young adult, Tanice has taken her art to a whole new level.

During her high school years, Tanice’s sister introduced her to Japanese animation. Tanice took a strong liking to the style, and was soon developing her own original characters.  Shortly after starting with the DDRC, Tanice began taking courses with the Quickdraw Animation Society. Animation took her all the way to England, where her short film was awarded “Best Animation” at the Oska Bright Film Festival.

Lately, though, Tanice has been putting pencil to paper, and refining her skills by going back to the basics and focusing on the fundamentals of drawing. She explains that “when I was learning about these specific goals, and how to get to my main passion, I had to take the little steps. I had to learn the other mediums of drawing in order to develop the skills to lead me there.” She advises all budding artists to “explore in the field; explore the other mediums.”

With the help of CRW Andrea Kelly, Tanice got it touch with the Director of Animation at the Alberta College of Art and Design, Kevin Kurytnik, who after seeing her talent, volunteered to tutor her himself. (Mr. Kurytnik was a 2013 Inclusion Award winner). She began to study the book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” which taught her precision through unconventional techniques, such as drawing upside down.

Tanice continues to draw with the support and encouragement of her family (they even model for her from time to time!), and sees her next step as creating a story line to complement her art. When she’s not drawing, she can be found working or volunteering at Telus Spark, practicing public speaking with a local Toastmasters club, or singing (but only in private!).

Click here to see some of Tanice’s original drawings.

Kaleigh Mirosch is not afraid to express her opinion.  Readers of the DDRC’s Connection Magazine will remember Kaleigh from this year’s spring edition where we learned about her passion for writing restaurant reviews based on her experiences at local restaurants and her excellent taste.

Since then, Kaleigh has aired her first professional radio interview with John Gilchrist, a restaurant reviewer for CBC Radio 1 and the Calgary Herald.

Kaleigh and her Community Resource Worker, Jessica Willes, got in touch with Mr. Gilchrist via email explaining Kaleigh’s interest in writing restaurant reviews and finding out more about the work that he does.  Soon after receiving their email, Mr. Gilchrist agreed to meet Kaleigh and Jessica to have lunch and answer some of her questions including: “What is your favourite food?” and “what is your favourite restaurant in Calgary?”

In return for an enjoyable lunch, Mr. Gilchrist gave Kaleigh autographed copies of his published works and asked if she would be interested in visiting the CBC studio to help him record a segment.

Kaleigh was thrilled even though it meant waking up very early in the morning to witness the process of producing a show.  When Kaleigh and Jessica arrived at the studio they were taken on a tour of the building and then watched the journalists in action from the studio audience.

The most exciting part of the visit came when it was Kaleigh’s turn to show her expertise: she was interviewed on her opinion about a local food truck!  For the segment, Mr. Gilchrist asked Kaleigh for her opinion about the “Farm Girls” truck, one of the food trucks visiting the CBC studio this summer as a part of their series on the food truck trend.

“Everyone heard me: my family and friends,” Kaleigh grins as she tells her story, “and it was great meeting all of the friendly people at the studio.”

This was a fantastic experience for the DDRC’s own budding reviewer, and we are sure to be hearing more great things from Kaleigh again soon!

Click here to listen to Kaleigh’s segment on the Calgary Eyeopener.