Chef John Schneeberger has Big Idea’s: Professor of Culinary Arts, Chef John Schneeberger poses with two of his students while preparing some delicious treats for Club 213. "Chef John", as he's known to his students, has been selected as one of the 10 finalists in TVO's Big Ideas Best LecturerBy Leonidas Eftaxias

Loyalist College Culinary Professor Chef John Schneeberger is the first college instructor to ever be selected as one of the 10 finalists in TVO Big Ideas Best Lecturer competition.

The annual competition is intended to grade each lecturer on clarity and coherence, energy and performance and confidence and authority.

Schneeberger, 41, brings a refreshingly selfless approach to teaching.

“I don’t want to be popular; I want to be good. If you are actually being honest, then you have to be willing to use the form that is going to suit the purpose. If that means giving a student a kick in the ass, then that is what you do. You cannot worry about whether the student is going to like you at the end,” says Schneeberger.

Another special quality of Schneeberger is his tremendous modesty.

“The truth of this whole thing is, I am not one of the 10 best lecturers in the province. There are a ton of really good instructors who never get nominated. I am just a guy doing my thing. If I am arrogant enough to think that I am actually one of the 10 best, then I am fooling myself,” says Schneeberger.

Schneeberger’s ability to merge a philosophical view of life with intuitive sensibilities about how to interact with students and an altruistic, yet practical approach to teaching sets him apart as a respected and bona fide leader. He does not distinguish between his job at the college and his outside life.

“How you do anything is how you do everything,” says Schneeberger.

Schneeberger, who volunteers in martial arts and self-defense training with local organizations and currently holds the rank of Ik-kyu (brown belt) in both Chito Ryu Karate (Kai Shin Association) and Jiu Jitsu (Canadian Jiu Jitsu Council), sees the relationship between himself and his students as an intricately connected cycle, whereby they feed off of his knowledge and he off of their energy.

“I take a look at my students and realize I used to be them. When I was there age I did not have a mentor, so I realize that I have a responsibility to give them something extra. Ultimately the motivation comes from them. I feel lucky to have them as students,” says Schneeberger.

Schneeberger’s inclusive approach to teaching is well received by his students.

“Professor Schneeberger’s style is very personalized. He takes the time to find out what our strengths and weaknesses are and gains our trust. He makes coming to school feel like hanging out with someone who really cares,” says first-year culinary student Bridget Burke-Purdy.

Considering that the scope of his role at the college goes far beyond lecturing it is apparent that his unique perspective and abilities are what allows him take command of his everyday life. In addition to giving regular lectures, Schneeberger coordinates Loyalist’s one-year culinary skills - chef training program and the two-year culinary management program.

Schneeberger comes from a Swiss family that includes several executive chefs and a Master Pastry Chef. As a graduate of George Brown College who has completed both his cook and baker apprenticeships, he has traveled throughout Europe and Canada working in numerous restaurants. He was the executive chef instructor at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, for two years before coming to Loyalist 11 years ago. While teaching in the hotel and restaurant management program, Schneeberger co-developed the culinary management and culinary skills programs and was instrumental in bringing the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) to the college.

After being originally nominated by his colleague and former student Christiane Whynott, Schneeberger was selected from a list of 38 semi-finalists to be in the final 10 by a distinguished panel of TVO judges. While he originally thought he would be satisfied to make it this far, Schneeberger now says that for him to win the competition would be a win for Loyalist as well as the entire Ontario community college system.

“Let’s do this. I think it would be excellent for the college system. We are standing beside universities, not below them. We just teach something different,” says Schneeberger.

Talks given by the finalists for the Best Lecturer competition will be televised on TVO’s Big Ideas on Saturday’s and Sunday’s at 4:00 p.m. beginning March 1. Viewers can vote on each professor’s lectures to determine the winner. Professor Schneeberger’s lecture, “Creative Menu Design,” will be aired on March 1 and March 2. The winner’s post-secondary institution will receive a $10,000 TD Meloche Monnex scholarship. The winner of 55-inch plasma television and home theatre system will be chosen from the voters.

Members of the community, students, alumni and staff can cast their vote for Professor Schneeberger from 5:40 p.m. on March 1 until noon on March 3 at www.tvo.org or by calling 1-866-281-3536.