First Nation chef passionate about cooking

Rocky Bay’s Amede Thompson Jr. is headed to Canada’s premiere culinary school to take his passion for culinary arts to a higher level.
“It’s the only school in Canada that offers a degree (in culinary operations),” Thompson said. “I eat and sleep cooking — I don’t think there is anybody that loves it more than I do.”
Thompson even sleeps with the Food Network going on his television.
“Almost every day when I make a dish or my supper, I always do it contemporized,” Thompson said. “I plate it and I’m always pushing myself.”
Thompson said he has worked for six of the 11 chefs profiled in a recent Thunder Bay article on the top chefs in the city.
“I worked for Caribou restaurant (a higher end restaurant in Thunder Bay),” Thompson said. “I was the lunch leader — I was the guy who made sure all the food went out for lunch perfectly.”
Thompson has also worked at the Bight restaurant on Thunder Bay’s waterfront, the Blue Parrot and Ruby Moon.
“I was also the MNR sous chef for whenever a fire happens,” Thompson said. “They have mobile kitchen units that are valued at millions of dollars. We usually do 200 firefighters for breakfast, lunch and dinner and we almost go out for two months at a time.”
Thompson said the Ministry of Natural Resources camp usually has a team of about 10 cooks to serve the firefighters.
“We were serving food like shrimp skewers with a homemade demi glaze gravy, seasonal vegetables, seasonal lettuce from a local supplier in Timmins,” Thompson said. “It was kind of like buffet style, but how I was doing it, I was getting one person to go out and take orders from all of (the firefighters). We were making homemade breads and desserts.”
Although Thompson is succeeding with his goals now, he wasn’t always so successful. He was once addicted to prescription drugs.
“When you’re so into drugs, it just costs a lot of money and it also takes a toll on your relationship with your family,” Thompson said. “Once I quit, I withdrawalled (sic) at home and I pretty much kept away from it. It’s been three years now; it was hard in the first couple of years but ever since it’s been getting easier ever since I saw my passion, my love, my dream.”
Thompson first took up the culinary arts at Confederation College’s Culinary Management program in 2009 after having previously worked with his father in the forestry business.
“The first day I went to class, I fell in love with it,” Thompson said. “Ever since then I’ve exceeded and excelled.”
Thompson has since completed 4,000 of the 6,000 hours required for a Red Seal endorsement, an interprovincial standard of excellence for the skilled trades that is prized by employers.
“Since I started in culinary, I’ve had the passion and determination to succeed, to push myself further than any person,” Thompson said. “I’ve excelled, I’ve worked in fancy, high-end restaurants in Thunder Bay. I’ve passed with top honours and I’ve almost got my Red Seal.”
Thompson was accepted into the Culinary Institute of Canada, located in Charlottetown, P.E.I., for this fall’s intake. Located at Holland College’s Tourism and Culinary Centre, the culinary school has provided culinary and hotel and restaurant management training since 1983.
“I’ve worked in about 15 different places in three years and learned about 30 to 40 different kinds of jobs, ranging from breakfast to fine dining,” Thompson said. “Now I’m just trying to get that other end of experience on the coast of P.E.I.”
Thompson’s goal is to be a professional chef.
“I want to be the first Native (chef) to get on TV,” Thompson said. “I’m training myself to become the best and I’m fully determined to finish that program in P.E.I., open my own restaurant in America and be one of the first Natives to earn the Michelin star (for restaurant excellence).”