For Immediate Release:
June 15, 2004
Churchill's Owner Offers Canadore Students 'Real' World Experience
Canadore Students and Graduates Set To Manage The Boat Dockside Grill
Mr. Jimmy Kolios, owner of Churchill's Prime Rib House and leaseholder of The Boat Dockside Grill, has hired Canadore College professor Mike Lamb and 25 Canadore College Hospitality/Tourism students and graduates to manage The Boat Dockside Grill this summer.
"I am very happy to be able to offer students an opportunity to stay and work in North Bay this summer," said Kolios. "I am excited to be able to support Canadore College and their hospitality and tourism programs."
The Boat, located at the North Bay waterfront on Memorial Drive, will officially open on Saturday, June 19 and will remain open throughout the summer. It will feature a new menu and will focus on family dining. Featured menu items will include pan-fried pickerel, fish and chips, a Black Angus beef burger, and various grilled appetizers, along with fresh cut fries.
The Boat will open daily, throughout the summer, at 11:00 a.m., with the kitchen closing at 9:00 p.m. and the fully licensed bar remaining open until later in the evening.
Mr. Lamb, who is a professor in Canadore's Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Management and Administration programs, has signed on as General Manager of The Boat, and plans to extend the classroom into the real world. Students and recent graduates working at The Boat will be exposed to the ups and downs of running a seasonal restaurant as he involves them in the day-to-day operations.
"It is my intention is to show the students exactly what a manager does. I'm going to have a weekly meeting with them, and we're going to talk about everything that has happened before and everything that's coming up. And then, we're going to look at it from my point of view (as the manager), as well as from their point of view," said Lamb. "I'm going to show them the figures for the week, how we arrive at all of the numbers and where we stand as far as the business is concerned. They're going to have the opportunity to put into practice all of things that we have studied."
The benefits to the students will be, first and foremost, real life industry experience and an excellent, hands-on-learning opportunity. Several of the students will also be taking on supervisory roles. "This is fantastic opportunity - to be able to graduate from Canadore and jump into this position without having to begin my career at an introductory level," noted Jed Gorham, a recent graduate of the Culinary Management program who has been hired as Head Chef.
Mr. Gorham, who is originally from St. Catherine's and came to North Bay to attend Canadore College and to raise his family, commented that he is "extremely happy to have found a job and to be able to stay in North Bay. I'm confident that the program has given me the experience I need to enter the professional world and become a success. I also know that my professors will be there for me, long after I?ve graduated, to help and guide me in my career."
