New scholarship, bursary honours memory of aspiring chef
Joshua Qiyuk, 21, from Baker Lake was found stabbed to death in Ottawa last year
Algonquin College and culinary school C’est Bon Ottawa have created a $1,000 scholarship and $1,500 bursary for Indigenous culinary students in memory of Joshua Qiyuk, a 21-year-old Inuk chef from Baker Lake, who was killed in Ottawa in October 2025. (File photo)
A young Inuk chef whose life was cut short last year is being remembered with a new financial aid program for Indigenous culinary students, created by an Ottawa cooking school and Algonquin College.
Culinary school C’est Bon Ottawa announced Monday it is working with the college to create the Joshua Qiyuk Memorial Scholarship and the Joshua Qiyuk Memorial Bursary.
Qiyuk, 21, from Baker Lake, died last October. The Ottawa Police Service said he had been stabbed. So far, no arrests have been announced.
“Mentors, colleagues, friends — we were all touched by how [Josh] approached his craft with consistent focus, gratitude, and a strong commitment to growth,” said Stefanie Siska, president and co-owner of C’est Bon Ottawa, in a news release.
When Qiyuk was 17, he attended a cooking program at C’est Bon.
He went on to complete the Indigenous Cook pre-apprenticeship program and later worked at Absinthe restaurant in Ottawa.
After Qiyuk’s death, members of the Ottawa culinary community organized efforts to support his family led in part by one of his mentors, Inuk chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe.
Last year, C’est Bon’s owners consulted with Metcalfe-Coe and Garland and approached Algonquin College about creating the scholarship and bursary.
Each year, the scholarship will award $1,000 to a full-time Indigenous student in level 3 or higher of a culinary program.
A separate bursary worth $1,500 will be awarded yearly based on financial need to an Indigenous student in select culinary programs at the college.
Murdered indigenous men are real and they matter too.