A Squamish resident is off to Beijing to represent Canada as a cook rather than a competitor during the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a culinary instructor with Vancouver Community College, Collin Gill is leading a group of culinary students who are serving up West Coast-inspired dishes at the B.C. Canada Pavilion. "I'm really excited about seeing the city and of course seeing the food," said Gill as he prepared to board a plane to China on Friday (Aug. 15).Located in the hub of tourist activity near Tiananmen Square, the pavilion is designed to showcase Canada and B.C.'s business, tourism, culture and industries. The college's director of marketing and communications Stephen Barrington said Gill would be helping students serve up natural and organic dishes using B.C. ingredients. Although he hadn't seen the menu yet, Gill said he expected B.C. wines and salmon to be part of the offerings.Culinary Capers brought Vancouver Community College on board after the Vancouver-based company was chosen as the official caterer of the pavilion.Since May, Culinary Capers has been flying and accommodating students and instructors to be an active part of the pavilion's kitchen and serving staff. By the time the pavilion shuts its doors in September, six instructors and 24 students will have shared their culinary talents with the world.While the jump from Squamish to Beijing will no doubt be an eye-opener for Gill, His opportunities to explore over his three-week period in China will be somewhat limited. "At this point, I've just heard they're very busy," he said, but added, "I'm happy to be working hard."When he does get a moment to spare, Gill said checking out Beijing's markets will be at the top of his to-do list. He said he would also like to see a chef prepare the famed Beijing meal of Peking duck.It's not the first time Gill has mixed sightseeing with cooking. His culinary career has also taken him to Chicago and Switzerland."I love to travel for food so that's most exciting for me."If this summer goes well, Gill said he could find himself helping students serve up dishes back home during the 2010 Winter Olympics."We're just kind of seeing how that works. I'm sure we'll be involved."
