Paige Seburn
Niagara Now/The Lake Report
For one night this past weekend, Niagara College’s Benchmark restaurant was transformed into the southern American city famous for jazz, Mardi Gras and Cajun cuisine.
As guests enjoyed the lively atmosphere at the Louisiania-themed Chef Signature Series event on Oct. 5, Eric Martinez, the evening’s special guest chef, smiled.
“To be able to share what we do down south, and kind of bring it to the world — it’s the ultimate for us,” said Martinez.
“Seeing the people here, in Niagara, accepting it with open arms, and the students excited about doing it — that’s what kind of makes this all worthwhile.”
The culinary experience, held at the Daniel J. Patterson campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, turned Benchmark into a festive celebration of New Orleans culture and cuisine.
“We have a great crowd — some from the community, some from the college. It’s been an amazing three or four days with our chefs,” said Craig Youdale, the college’s dean of culinary, tourism and beverage studies.
Originally running from 2012 to 2015, Youdale said the Chef Signature Series was relaunched after its hiatus.
“We thought it was really important to bring other chefs in,” he said. “It’s exciting for our students and exciting for the community to get to take part.”
This year, Youdale said they wanted to try something new and different.
“We brought our chefs that we know from Louisiana to have a fun jazz, Louisiana, Cajun and Creole kind of night,” he said.
Sous chef Michael McGuire said how meaningful it is to share his culture through food.
“It’s fun cooking dishes that I grew up with and sharing them with people from a whole different part of the world,” he said, voicing particular enthusiasm for the vibe and the crawfish.
“The atmosphere; the music; it feels like I’m at home. It’s seeing that look on people’s faces while they eat something they might not have ever tried before,” said McGuire.
Guests had dishes like crawfish étouffée and duck and andouille gumbo, all served in a more casual, festival-like setting than the restaurant is used to.
“It’s not pretentious or fancy,” said Martinez.
Attendee Amanda Baldinelli said she appreciated the relaxed vibe.
“It’s a fun, casual event, and the drink options have been really creative,” she said.
Niagara would benefit from more outside culinary influences, like what this signature event provided, Baldinelli said.
The evening also provided valuable hands-on experience for Niagara College students, said Youdale.
“This is a real-life event,” said Youdale. “Students usually work in labs, but here, they see what it’s like under pressure with guests and different cooking styles.”
Looking ahead, Youdale hinted at plans for future events in the Chef Signature Series: They are working on bringing in a famous Toronto restaurant and a Niagara College alumnus from Vancouver, he said.
