Showing off a featured dish at Jane’s Restaurant using Granny’s Finest Poultry Products. (Pictured L-R: Stan Chung, VP Academic & Research, Craig Evans, CEO, Granny’s Poultry and Chef Jeffrey Brandt, Janes Restaurant.)

Red River College’s (RRC’s) Hospitality and Culinary Arts program is partnering with Granny’s Poultry Farmers Cooperative to develop products in a commercial kitchen to be taken to market.
Chefs and Students are developing recipes and testing Granny’s new chicken that is fed flax, alfalfa and ginseng through the Sungrown Feeding Program, labeled as Granny’s Finest. They are assisting in getting the product ready for market through applied research in a state-of-the-art kitchen at RRC’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute. Throughout development, the products will be featured in Jane’s Restaurant, an urban upscale restaurant located in the culinary school, as well as in many other College kitchens.
“Partnering with an industry-leader like Granny’s Poultry benefits Red River College culinary students and researchers through the opportunity to conduct food technology research in the state-of-the-art institute,” said Stan Chung, vice-president, academic and research, Red River College. “RRC’s new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute offers the expertise and resources to industry partners who see an opportunity to apply their product in a commercial/education setting for market consumption.”
“Having the ability to test, develop and then consume Granny’s product in our local market is advantageous to many stakeholders,” said Craig Evans, CEO of Granny’s Poultry Farmers Cooperative. “We are proud to collaborate with farmers, students, education, government and distributors to provide a product that is truly the finest for consumers”.
“Having the ability to test, develop and then consume Granny’s product in our local market is advantageous to many stakeholders,” said Craig Evans, CEO of Granny’s Poultry Farmers Cooperative. “We are proud to collaborate with farmers, students, education, government and distributors to provide a product that is truly the finest for consumers”.
Commercial kitchen laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment at RRC’s newly opened Paterson GlobalFoods Institute will be used to prepare all four new products. Granny’s newest products will be cooked and tested to ensure moisture retention, texture, and, most importantly, flavours remain consistent.
“The Harper Government is pleased to be part of this exciting state-of-the-art culinary facility,” said the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. “The work Red River College is doing at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute demonstrates the results that can be achieved when government, industry and academia work together to bring a concept from test bench to market.”
Granny’s Finest chicken is available at Miller’s Meats starting November 8th. Some recipes developed by the culinary school are currently available on the menu at Jane’s. Reservations for Jane’s Restaurant can be made at www.janesrestaurant.ca
Winnipeg is becoming a true leader in culinary excellence, with the recent opening of Red River College’s new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute. World-class instruction, cutting-edge technology and partnerships with key industry players prepare RRC students to become the next generation of influencers in the fields of culinary arts, professional baking and patisserie and hospitality and tourism management.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is supporting this research with a $25,000 grant through its College and Community Innovation Program. Through a 2012 investment from Western Diversification, the federal government supported the addition of research infrastructure for the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute with a $2-million investment.

Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, under construction in 2011

Manitoba’s Red River College is poised to become one of Canada’s top culinary and food-testing centres thanks to an investment by WD in its new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute.

The funding enabled the college to purchase specialized food science equipment for its Paterson Institute, scheduled to open January 2013 in the historic Union Bank Tower in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

“Our Government’s top priority is creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity,” said Minister Yelich. “This investment will help ensure the right conditions to develop, test, and commercialize products to bring to market in the food industry.”

Ray Hoemsen, Director of Applied Research and Commercialization at Red River College, said the new equipment’s advanced technological capabilities are helping establish the college as one of Canada’s leading culinary and foodtesting institutes.

“We now have one of the best-equipped facilities in terms of food preparation and advanced technology, particularly in the key areas of testing, tasting, preparation and storage for commercial use,” said Mr. Hoemsen.

Equipped with this new technology, the College’s students and faculty will work directly with local industry to develop and test new food products and processes, ensuring healthier and
tastier foods for Canadians.

By working in partnership with private industry, the College is translating its knowledge and technology into new commercial food products for large
markets and creating new jobs.

As a result, Red River College is helping create new business opportunities by boosting the competitiveness of Manitoba’s food and beverage processing industry – an industry that represents close to one quarter of the province’s manufacturing output, and $4 billion annually in shipments.

Excerpted from Western Economic Diversification Canada’s Fall 2012 Access West Newsletter. Click here to view the full document.

Red River College – and Manitoba’s food industry – are getting a big boost.
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) announced Friday that the federal government is investing $2 million to expand research capabilities at the new Paterson GlobalFoods Institute at Red River College’s (RRC’s) Exchange District Campus. RRC representatives joined the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification to make the announcement inside the nearly complete building, which will soon be home to RRC’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality programs.
By giving RRC access to advanced equipment for testing new food products and processes, this funding will develop the opportunities for students and faculty, while growing the Manitoba food industry. Adding another branch to its Applied Research activities, RRC will work with local organizations in the food sector, offering College facilities and expertise to help spark innovation and create business opportunities.
When complete, the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute is anticipated to be one of Canada’s premier culinary institutes and a new standard for heritage-building restoration.
For more information on the funding, check out the WD news release.