Morningstar Hospitality to feed thousands at the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games
By Barb Nahwegahbow
RAMA FIRST NATION – Thessalon First Nation citizen Chris Trainor is expecting a lot of company next summer. Over a month-long period he’ll be serving 134,000 meals!
Trainor is the President of Morningstar Hospitality Services Inc., a majority-owned Canadian Aboriginal company. Morningstar won the bid to provide food services to the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in July and August 2015. They’ll be feeding athletes, dignitaries and spectators at three locations – Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Abilities Centre in Whitby and President’s Choice Ballpark in Ajax.
Headquartered at Rama First Nation, Morningstar will be celebrating its second year anniversary during the Games. Trainor’s background is in education and finance. He was a commercial banker with Scotiabank for several years. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Guelph University, a Bachelor of Education from Brock and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s. Trainor brings his experience, education and love of food to Morningstar.
Providing food services for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games is a daunting challenge, but Trainor is confident Morningstar has the capacity to deliver fresh, nutritious meals. The company already has two large contracts. At Algoma University in Sault Ste Marie, the Morningstar Market and Eatery has a Metis head chef and five other Aboriginal employees. They also the Morningstar Café at the University of Sudbury where all the employees are Aboriginal including a Red Seal head chef.
“It’s an unwavering focus for us to hire Aboriginal,” said Trainor. “Another mandate we have is to integrate an appreciation for our culture through Aboriginal-inspired cuisine at each of those locations. And we’re going to do the same at the Pan Am Games.” Bison burgers, moose stew, Indian tacos and fresh whitefish are often on the menu alongside their fresh-cut fries.
What separates Morningstar from the competition? “We make all of our soup stocks from scratch on site,” said Trainor. “All of our chicken is sourced fresh. We don’t use any powdered, processed or frozen foods. That’s really unique in the industry.”
They also source from Aboriginal suppliers. Spirit Bear Coffee from Burnaby, BC will be served at the Pan Am Games. Smoked salmon, cranberries and wild rice are sourced from Indigenous suppliers. They also buy from local farmers.
One of the other things Trainor enjoys about his work is working with Aboriginal superstar chefs. Aaron Bear Robe, Kai Zyganiuk, and Rich Francis (who was one of the three finalists in Top Chef Canada) have provided menus and trained staff for him. “They’re all very creative, talented and innovative,” he said.
Trainor has to hire and train a few hundred temporary staff for the Pan Am Games and get them certified and authorized by the Pan Am Games. “We have it all under control,” said Trainor.
If you want to work for Morningstar at the Pan Am Games, contact them through their website: www.morningstarhospitality.ca.