ANDRÉA MAURICE

What brought you to Centennial College?

I initially chose Centennial College for its online Culinary Skills program during a time when I was rebuilding my life after having my son and navigating a major career shift away from healthcare. I needed something flexible that would allow me to balance school, work, and being a new parent.

What I didn’t expect was the level of support I would receive. In my second semester, my instructors, success advisors, program coordinators, and associate dean came together to help transition me into in-person learning. That experience changed everything. Being on campus allowed me to fully immerse myself in the craft, build meaningful connections, and grow in ways I hadn’t imagined.

I graduated from the Culinary Skills program with high honours and continued into the Culinary Management diploma, also graduating with high honours. What started as a practical decision became one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and absolutely worth every commute.

Tell us about your favourite Centennial College experience?

One of my favourite experiences at Centennial was choosing to opt out of a traditional paid externship and instead complete my Work Integrated Learning placement at The Local. With the support of Chef Lilian, I turned the back kitchen into a kind of “mad scientist” space, where I experimented and developed products using ingredients rescued from labs and kitchen scraps that I was able to sell in the café and at pop-up markets in the foyer, including $2 hot meals.

Working closely with Chef Stephen Field, I built and installed a hydroponic system in the restaurant, grew microgreens across multiple labs for students to use as garnishes, helped manage the vegetable and herb gardens, and worked to improve the compost system. It gave me the freedom to think differently about food and pushed me to explore what was possible beyond the plate.

Staying on campus meant continuing to learn from some of the most brilliant mentors I have ever met, and it remains one of the best decisions I have ever made.

What impact has Centennial College had on your life?

Centennial College had a profound impact on my life by giving me the confidence and environment to turn my ideas into something real.

Beyond the classroom, Centennial's Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COIE) played a pivotal role in shaping my path. Through a pitch competition focused on food insecurity, I developed the concept for The Pickle Bank and began turning my ideas into something tangible.

From there, I was invited to compete in a cross-college entrepreneurship challenge, where my team earned three first place awards. The COIE also hosted my first Pickle Bank pop-up after I graduated and officially launched the business, and continued to invite me back for additional events, including Demo Day, where I received Judges’ Pick for my pitch and People’s Choice for my booth. Each experience built my confidence and pushed my ideas further, and the support I received played a major role in helping me believe in what I was building.

Centennial did not just give me an education, it gave me the environment, mentorship, and support to build something with real impact in my community.

What are you up to now?

I am currently focused on building The Pickle Bank, a food initiative centered on improving access to food within the community. It’s a model that provides subsidized grocery subscriptions to those who need it most, using rescued and surplus ingredients, while anything that cannot be distributed is transformed into value-added products that are sold to help fund more boxes.

Since developing the concept, I have been actively bringing it to life through pop-ups, product development, and community events. I am also hosting and teaching food preservation workshops, while selling my products at pop-up shops and markets. What started as a pitch has grown into something real, and I am continuing to refine and expand it with each opportunity.

Looking ahead, my focus is on scaling The Pickle Bank into a larger, community-driven system that combines food rescue, preservation, and education. The goal is to create something that addresses food insecurity in a sustainable and meaningful way, because food waste and food insecurity should never coexist.

Current city of residence

Mississauga, ON