Manitoba teen overcomes challenges to find safety, success in the kitchen - Action News
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Manitoba

Manitoba teen overcomes challenges to find safety, success in the kitchen

While living with autism spectrum disorder and a dysfunctional family, Dru Blaine discovered a purpose and passion for cooking at Marymound, a youth and family social services organization.

Dru Blaine's passion for cooking, Marymound training offer path to a culinary career

While living with autism spectrum disorder and a dysfunctional family, Blaine discovered a purpose and passion for cooking at Marymound, a youth and family social services organization.
Dru Blaine has discovered a purpose and passion for cooking at Marymound, a youth and family social services organization. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Dru Blaine has faced a lot of challenges in his 17 years on the planet, including livingwith autism spectrum disorder and growing up with a dysfunctional family life.

But he has discovered a purpose and passion for cooking at Marymound, a youth and family social services organization in Winnipegthat has turned his life around.

"I like cooking, eating, feeding people, and I just like having something to make," Blaine said in an interview.

He recalls living with numerous family members, including his parents, grandparentsand aunt as a child.

"It was a lot of back and forth due to my parents being drug addicts," he said.

"So it was, like, my early life with my mom, where I was unhappy, thenmy grandmauntil I was 12, back to my mom until 14 and then I went to my cousins, which is where I live, and it's been great."

Blaine refused to give up on his dream, and Marymound's student work education experience program (SWEEP) has given him and other at-risk youth a chance to gain valuable work experience.

Youth from Grade 9to Grade 12 work with mentors who help them develop skills and explore career or post-secondary options.

Morning shifts

Blaine, who has been working at SWEEPfor two years since Grade 10, comes twice a week for morning shifts while still attending school.

"I do stuff in the kitchen, yardwork around here," he said. "I cut vegetables, bake cookies, usually prepare lunch there and clean around."

With help from his mentors, he is learning all the basic skills required to eventually become a chef.

"It is an easy way to make money, gain experience in cookingand the best I could ever get, honestly," he said.

Blaine has studied at Marymound's Pathways Learning Centre since Grade 9.

"The Pathways program has been great and changed my life in many ways. Without Pathways, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near this."

Blaine says his favourite part about cooking is the prep-work. Its like cutting, putting the stuff out, organizing, its really a lot more fun if you actually have fun with itI personally like the feeling of using the knife, it's my favourite.
Blaine says his favourite part about cooking is the prep work. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Marymound's Pathways Off-Campus Learning Centre addresses students' unique needs with a low teacher-student ratio of one to four. The program is dedicated toexperiential learning in cultural, academic and employment-focused contexts.

It guides students with different individual needs up to the age of 19.

Students can study strictly academics, choose volunteering or opt for work experience with academics. Students can graduate high school from Pathways, go to an adult learning centre to get a mature diploma, and transition directly into workor work training.

Highly motivated

Alex Jackson, a teacher and co-ordinator at the school, says Blaine always expressed a desire to study cooking.

"He always said, 'I want to work in the kitchen. I want to do culinary, I want to learn how to cook and make meals for people,'" Jackson recalled.

He says Blaine is highly motivated,and has broughtwhat he has learnedback to the classroom.

"He has stepped in to be a mentor for a few students on how to cook," Jackson said."There are timeshe doesthe whole lunchtime meal for the class."

With Jackson's help and aMarymound scholarship, Blaine has been accepted into the Indigenous culinary course at Red River College Polytechnic.Blaine says he'slooking forward to beginning classes in August.

"I want to get a job in a restaurant, and maybe ownmy own restaurant eventually," he said. "I want to serve regular people and want people to be able to afford the stuff I serve."

He says his favourite part about cooking is the prep work.

"It's like cutting, putting the stuff out, organizingit's really a lot more fun if you actually have fun with it," he said. "I personally like the feeling of using the knife. It's my favourite."

He's also developed a short menu of his specialties:"I make pastaat home and Cracker Jack cookies, which are very well-liked here for some reason."

Jamie Bierbrick, Chef and Blaines supervisor at the Marymound kitchen says Blaine has always been efficient in the kitchen, willing to work on his weaknesses and takes any criticism well.
Jamie Biebrick, a chef and Blaines supervisor at the Marymound kitchen, says the teen has always been efficient in the kitchen and willing to work on his weaknesses. (Justin Fraser/CBC)

Jamie Biebrick, a chef and Blaine's supervisor at the Marymound kitchen, says the teen has always been efficient in the kitchen. He's willing to work on his weaknesses and takescriticism well, said Bierbrick.

"From Day 1, he knew he wanted to go to culinary school and nothing was going to stop him," he said. "He was willing to learn whatever. That attitude speaks a lot for him," she said.

Biebrick says Blaine is an amazing baker, and she knows "he's gonna end up somewhere in a position where he will be baking and showing his talents that way."

As for his daily duties, Biebrick says he helps her with the kitchen prep work, making lunches, receiving orders and then cleaning up at the end of the shift.

Biebrickknows Blaine faceda lot of struggles in his home life, and says Marymound provided him the stable space he needed to hone his skills.

"He always came with a positive attitude no matter what happened at home or in his life,"Biebricksaid."I cannot wait to see him graduate and move on to culinary school."

A teenager with autism is cooking his way through challenges

6 months ago
Duration 2:44
While living with autism spectrum disorder and in an unstable family environment,17-year-old Dru Blaine discovered a purpose and passion for cooking.

Corrections

  • Jamie Biebrick is the supervisor at the Marymound kitchen. An incorrect spelling of her name was published in earlier versions of the story.
    Apr 25, 2024 12:41 PM CT