Our History and Our Passion

Liaison College of Culinary Arts, is the largest trainer of cooks and chefs in the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1996, Liaison College is known for the strength of its Culinary and Chef Diploma Programs, our professional and qualified Chef Instructors and enthusiastic graduates.

Our History

Rudy Florio and Susanne Mikler had been running a Toronto School of Business operation in Etobicoke for about 8 years when they decided to switch from bookkeeping and computers to soups and sauces. A bit of research showed there was a large demand in the vocational market for food service training.

Determined to make their students employable as quickly as possible, Rudy and Susanne opened Liaison Educational Systems, operating out of Hamilton and concentrating on food preparation and service.

The first franchise opened in Hamilton under Gene and Murline Mallette who brought 20 years of experience in vocational education to their campus.

Directors

Susanne Mikler, a cook with a passion for food, was nominated for 2006 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Her special interests include Cuisine Canada Culinary, Canadian Chef Educators Association, and Women in Food Industry Management.

Rudy Florio grew up in east Hamilton. Football took him to Youngstown State as a scholarship student, a career with the Montreal Alouettes and a Grey Cup ring in 1974. "He was a tough, tough player," says George Knill. "He played mostly on special teams and his nickname was Captain Crunch. They even had T-shirts printed up with Captain Crunch and Rudy's number on them."

When his playing career ended, Florio became a coach at the University of Guelph. "You take every little bit of coaching you've had and something from everybody you've coached with," Florio says. Guelph won a Vanier Cup and Florio ended up with another championship ring.

Then Florio turned his back on football to concentrate on business. He opened a Toronto School of Business for adult training, but a love of food led him to open Liaison College, a franchised chain of Culinary Arts Colleges across Ontario.

Football still gives Rudy the opportunity to give back to the community. He is defensive coordinator of the Churchill Bulldogs. In his three seasons, the Bulldogs have made appearances in the Division 2 final each year.

Recently, Rudy was written up in the Alouettes Alumni Newsletter. We include the article here.

Our Campuses

Each campus is licensed to run courses in Basic and Advanced Cooking, Hospitality Administration, Personal Chef Diploma and Red Seal Preparation.

Up to three instructional shifts run each day at any campus, with a maximum class size of 18.

Almost every person from each graduating class walks into a job. Employment isn’t limited to hotels and restaurants. Some go into catering. One former student is cooking for a jail; another does food styling for marketing board posters. One person with years of practical experience was able to pass his exam for his chef’s ticket after taking a three-month course at Liaison College. Shortly after that, he became sous-chef at the renowned Sooke Harbour restaurant on Vancouver Island.

More Credentials

Every corporate and independently owned and operated franchise campus of Liaison College operates under the accreditation of Liaison Education Systems Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario. Liaison College Campuses are licensed and operate under the regulatory authority of the Private Vocational Schools Act and the Ministry of Education and Training in the Province of Ontario who in turn exercise final approval of all course curriculum. Liaison College is a proud member of:

• Canadian Federation of Chefs & Cooks
• Canadian Chef Educators Association
• The Canadian Restaurant & Foodservices Association
• Women in Food Industry Management (WFIM)
• Cuisine Canada
• Canada Career Consortium