NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA COLLEGE
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There won’t be any rules against playing with your food when Chef Professor Olaf Mertens takes over Benchmark restaurant for what promises to be an unforgettable one-evening experience on Jan. 23 – in fact, it will be encouraged!
The talented, fun-loving German-born chef is stirring up a distinctive culinary experience rolled in with storytelling and a dash of whimsy as the next headliner for NC’s hot new dinner series, A Chef’s Journey.
Each event in the series will shine a spotlight on an academic chef – or two – who will curate a multi-course meal along with an evening experience that reflects their personal journeys. The events will also include featured alumni and a team of students. Stories will be conveyed through their menu of food and beverage selections, storytelling, visuals, and other surprises.
‘Yes, play with your food!” will be the theme for Mertens’ s one-night ‘restaurant takeover’ event, featuring interactive dishes and beverages throughout the evening.
“Personally, I want to show off hospitality, and a serious food and beverage menu, storytelling while ‘playing with your food’ and having whimsical fun tantalizing your senses,” he said. “My journey will add some story to the delicious dishes, being a Germanic influence with Canadian ingredients, with a few sprinkles of eating adventures from our travels intertwined into some bites.”
Through his menu, Mertens will offer guests a tour from his birthplace in Berlin, through Germany and into Bavaria and Salzburg, Austria – the latter destination was just minutes away from Steigenberger Hotelier School in Badreichall where he completed his Master Chef designation.
Early in his career, Mertens cooked in some of the finest restaurants in Berlin and Budapest. He earned the honour of Top Skilled Apprentice for the class of 1989 and was awarded Berlin’s Apprentice of the Year that same year.
In Canada, he worked at Rogues Hotel in Mississauga, which was awarded one of Canada’s Top 40 Restaurants, before becoming the executive chef and co-founder/owner of HIP Restaurants and its three Mississauga locations – On the Curve Hot Stone and Wine Bar, Ten Restaurant & Wine Bar and West 50 Pourhouse and Grill; as well as his own catering division Catering … From the HIP, which has served high profile guests from British royalty, the German embassy and large German companies.
Mertens has been bringing his expertise to the classrooms and labs of NC since 2010. He was a coach for Junior Culinary Team Canada between 2013-2016 – when a team of culinary students and recent graduates won the right to represent Canada at international competitions, including the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany, and brought home multiple medals.
That team included Robbie Aggarwal (Culinary Management – Co-op, 2016) who will be returning to his alma mater as one of the featured alumni for the January 23 dinner event. Aggarwal, who owns Niagara Falls-based Norcini and Co. and Lela Park – and has employed several NC alumni since opening his business in 2021 – feels grateful and honoured to return to NC as an established alumni.
“This is a full-circle moment to be able to give back and contribute to where the foundational training of my career started,” he said. “Chef Olaf was not only my coach but a mentor. He pushed me to strive for greatness, nothing less was acceptable.
“My whole experience at NC and all the support from the facility, administration and support staff is what led to my success in the industry.”
The event will also include Wine Professor Gavin Robertson, who is a NC graduate (Winery and Viticulture Technician, 2011).
“Olaf and I are good pals and he’s an incredibly talented and creative guy, so we had a blast bouncing food and beverage pairing ideas off one another to see where we landed with the menu,” said Robertson. “In my day-to-day as an instructor, it’s easy to get hung up on the microscopic details of the wine sciences, and this is an opportunity to remember what it’s all really about: the pleasure of eating and drinking wonderful, craft-made things together in a properly-lit, super social warm room on a cold winter’s night.”
They will be joined by Chef Professor Erik Mauke, who has 25 years of culinary management experience and operated two artisanal food businesses before deciding to focus on teaching.
“I am an ‘Olaf alumni.’ I worked with him many years ago where he afforded me opportunities for which I will be forever grateful,” said Mauke.
Upcoming events
A Chef’s Journey with Olaf Mertens marks the second event in the College dinner series, which launched in late November with a sold-out inaugural dinner featuring Chef Craig Youdale (Dean, Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies).
“A Chef’s Journey is a celebration of culinary artistry, community and the journeys that have shaped our talented chefs and alumni,” said Youdale. “Each event promises to create meaningful connections between our College chefs, alumni, students and our community.”
The inaugural event also marked the launch of a new Student Experience Scholarship Fund. In lieu of leaving a gratuity for service at Benchmark restaurant or a special event hosted by the Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies division, guests are now encouraged to donate to the new fund which will create scholarships for students from NC’s schools of Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism, and Wine, Beer and Spirits.
In addition to A Chef’s Journey with Olaf Mertens on Jan. 23, the series will feature an exciting lineup of NC Chef Professors including:
- Michael Olson, along with his wife, celebrity chef Anna Olson, on Feb. 13;
- Michelin Guide recognized chef Frank Dodd (also Executive Chef at Trius Winery Restaurant) on March 20;
- Erin Circelli and Isa Mottiar on April 3;
- Riley Bennett on April 24;
- Scott Baechler on May 8; and
- Oscar Turchi on May 22.
A Chef’s Journey events will be held at Benchmark restaurant, located at NC’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The events will be supported by students and staff from the College’s Benchmark team led by Victor Oliveira and Chef Justin Downes.
Tickets are available, while supplies last, via Eventbrite. Mertens’ event on Jan. 23 and Olson’s event on Feb. 13 have sold out.
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