St. Clair College’s culinary program is losing a teacher who is being described as the embodiment of what it means to be a chef.
Chef Pierre Dubrulle is preparing to retire from his position as an instructor in the cooking apprenticeship program at St. Clair College.
This brings an end to his tenure which started in 2014, but is only the most recent chapter in an illustrious career which began at the age of 16 in his hometown of Lille, France.
Chef Pierre’s parents introduced him to his mentor Chef Armando Einvernizzi.
From there he was working in a kitchen for the next three years.
“That apprenticeship really gave my life direction. It was so important.”
This is where you build the foundation, said Chef Pierre.
“It’s a passion. You have to be passionate about it because it doesn’t pay too much, and you put in really long hours. It was hard on me.”
Drafted into the French army in 1963, he was put in charge of the kitchen cooking for 1,000 soldiers, and putting his career on hold for 18 months,
After being discharged from the army he worked as a cook in England, where he saw an advertising campaign for immigrants to move to Canada in 1965, so he applied and was accepted as a landed immigrant.
He embarked on a 12-day journey travelling across the Atlantic Ocean before taking a train to his final destination of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Throughout his time in western Canada, he opened a seafood delicatessen, a small 50-seat restaurant called Le Couscous and later had his own cooking school for future chefs.
In 2000 he took over a teaching kitchen where he taught kids the basics of French cuisine until moving to Windsor with his wife Bonnie in 2008 to be closer to her family.
Chef Pierre said his proudest moment was watching his student Ryan Stone earn his way to participate in the famous international cooking competition Bocuse d’Or in France against the best chefs in the world, first as an apprentice and six years later as a leader.
“Just to have him participate was phenomenal. My wife and I went to France to support him and give him our encouragement.”
Starting work at St. Clair College in 2014, he began teaching in 2016 where he has been running the apprenticeship program for the last two years.
Chef Pierre said he is most proud of seeing his students find success in the culinary industry.
“I teach my students that their first year of apprenticeship is so important.”
St. Clair College’s Chef Alycia Tomalty said the word passion can sometimes be used so loosely, but the term perfectly describes Chef Pierre.
“With him you can just sense it. He’s just the real deal. He doesn’t have to boast about all the things he does, he just does it. He doesn’t need accolades or anyone else’s praise.”
Tomalty also said the students won’t know how good they’ve got it until they don’t have him anymore.
“He lives and breathes and always thinks about food. He’s everything every chef should be when it comes to understanding and appreciating food.”
At 76, Chef Pierre thinks it is time to retire but said it will never be 100 per cent.
“I am always willing to share with young people. I can lecture and help young kids with their career by mentoring them, which is important to me. That’s what I love to do the most, share my passion and my vast experience with young people.”
- Todd Shearon