Professional Chef Al Irving has worked in the industry for 30 years, including a two year apprenticeship in La Bonneville, France (just outside Paris). He has worked everywhere from Tuktoyuktuk, NWT to Bara Dos Bocas, Mexico, to New Orleans to Vancouver. Before he arrived at NIC he taught on Saltspring and at Camosun College for 16 years. He says that NIC's Port Alberni kitchen is one of the nicest he's ever worked in. Classes are held in modern, fully-equipped training facilities which includes NIC Roger Street Bistro where students serve a selection of freshly made comfort foods to hungry locals while earning apprenticeship technical training credit toward Interprovincial (Red Seal) certification. When Chef Irving's not busy helping student's in the kitchen you can find him downhill skiing, reading and hiking in the Cowichan Valley. The adventurous chef also has a commercial diving certificate, a black belt in Shaolin kung-fu, a green belt in Shorinji-Ru karate and a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu.