I Launched a Virtual Restaurant While Still in Culinary School

Studied: Culinary management at George Brown College (2022–24)
Current Job: Customer service representative for George Brown College
Location: Toronto
Age: 39

Before I came to Canada, I worked as an automotive engineer in Brazil for five years but it didn’t suit my creative personality. I went back to school to study marketing and worked for brands in the automotive industry. 

During the pandemic, the kitchen became my sanctuary. Both my grandmothers were excellent cooks and I enjoyed being in the kitchen with them growing up; I still have many of their recipes. It was a place where I could release stress, be creative and have fun. In September of 2020, I started a side business in São Paulo selling bread, pasta, sauces and cheese buns online. At the same time, my husband and I were revisiting our dream of living abroad. The pandemic made us realize life is short. Moving to Toronto and making another career pivot into culinary arts seemed like the perfect plan. Plus, I read that Canada was welcoming to immigrants and the culinary market there was diverse.

I chose George Brown College’s two-year culinary management diploma because it’s one of the best and largest culinary schools in Canada. I began my studies at George Brown in September of 2022. The program consists of business courses such as human resources, marketing and entrepreneurship. There are also hands-on classes where you learn the skills to be a chef, like working with flavours, how to prepare large amounts of food and the ins and outs of catering. Some days, I was on my feet from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I was physically exhausted, but my heart was filled with happiness. In my marketing job, I felt drained after sitting at a desk all day; being in a kitchen invigorated me. I knew that cooking was what I wanted to do.

I had some great opportunities during my program. I was a finalist in a turkey cook-off hosted by the school, where I prepared salpicão: a traditional Brazilian salad made with shredded turkey, carrots, onions, crispy bacon and fried straw potato. In April of 2024, I participated in a competition held by Cookin, an app where local chefs sell and deliver meals. First, I had to submit a list of recipes I wanted to cook. I created a Brazilian-inspired menu, with dishes from the countryside to the coast, including pulled pork and guava jam, cheese buns, grilled shrimp skewers, cassava chips and fried sole pieces with pineapple and cilantro vinaigrette. 

I was selected as a finalist to participate in a “try-out” day, where we tested whether our recipes could be prepared and packaged and if they would hold up within a 30-minute delivery time. I was one of the winners and got to operate a virtual store on the Cookin app, called Flavia’s Taste of Brazil, for one week in May of 2024. I used the facilities at George Brown to prepare the meals and I fulfilled 25 orders, a total of 41 meals, that week. 

Currently, I’m working for George Brown’s chef school as a liaison between students and faculty. I assist students with all sorts of issues they may have and market the college for future students at our culinary events. Although this is not a hands-on kitchen job, I am thrilled to support the culinary industry in Canada. I miss cooking every day, though. I’m sure I’ll find myself back in a kitchen soon.

Going to college wasn’t just about learning the hard skills of cooking. I met people in the industry, like my instructors, who are well-connected chefs in Toronto and who helped get me part-time jobs at restaurants in the city. I met another Brazilian chef and we’re working on enhancing the Brazilian cuisine scene in Toronto. It can be scary to try something new. But going back to college and completing the culinary management program gave me the courage to confidently call myself “chef.”

This story appeared in the 2025 edition of the Ultimate Guide to Canadian Colleges. Order your copy here.