The Sheridan Chef

STORY BY DANA BOYINGTON

He is known as the Sheridan Chef. You may have seen him banging pots together at the Bruins basketball games or making one of his specialty meals at the cafeteria.

Every day, students at Sheridan College go in and out of the “caf,” but many don’t know who the Sheridan Chef is.

He is Kalvin Keigher, 45, or as he likes to be called, Chef Kal.

“I’m not in the restaurant business. I like to say I’m really in the entertainment business,” Keigher said. “It’s important that the students and staff leave happy.”

Keigher’s passion for cooking came from his father who was also a chef. He remembers assisting him in the kitchen at the age of seven.

“I tell people I’m a second-generation chef. It’s all I’ve ever known, it’s all I’ve ever been able to do,” said Keigher. “It’s all I can remember from being a youngster.”

Keigher has been working for four years at a company called Compass Canada – a food service that supplies culinary solutions to a variety of industries. Compass was the first to introduce Keigher to Sheridan. He has been part of the Sheridan community at Trafalgar for several years, but just this year received the official title of executive chef.

“I can’t walk down the hallway without getting stopped [by someone],” Keigher said. “I know lots of faculty and students. It’s been great to be able to watch students grow.”

He studied at Vancouver Community College, in British Columbia for French Culinary and also spent some time in Europe cooking and working on and off with his father here in Canada.

Keigher, Sheridan’s first executive chef, continues to create his own meals and looks forward to an exciting future with Sheridan.

“This new role they’ve [Sheridan] created for me, has been absolutely excellent,” Keigher said.

The new Trafalgar residence is implementing its own convention centre on the first floor that will open in a couple months, and Keigher will cater its events, such as weddings and conferences.

“I’m really looking forward to having our own space,” Keigher said. “There are these new high-tech, very expensive ovens that are available [at the new convention centre] that we can use, which is like a new BMW to a chef.”

Keigher tries as much as he can to stay involved with the Sheridan community, whether it’s attending Bruins games or getting to know the students and staff of Sheridan.

College president Jeff Zabudsky recently posted a photo of Keigher on Twitter at a Bruins basketball game, calling him “the loudest Bruin fan.”

Keigher continues to strive to create more meals, and hopes more Sheridan students visit the cafeteria and try his creations.

“Every plate is a canvas, and it must be beautiful when it leaves,” Keigher said.