Ottawa’s culinary community mourns young Inuk chef killed in stabbing

The last time Patrick Garland saw Joshua Qiyuk, the young chef was on his way home after a shift at Garland’s restaurant.

“I said you know, have a good day, I’ll see you tomorrow. And he was like, ‘yes, chef, I’ll see you tomorrow, thank you,'” the owner of Absinthe told CBC News.

The next morning, Qiyuk’s body was found in the 400 block of Meadow Park Place — a quiet residential area in Ottawa’s east end. The 21-year-old had been stabbed to death.

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Matthieu Boisvert who lives in the neighbourhood, found the body on Wednesday morning. He described the experience as surreal.

“No one expects to start their day like that, but it’s far worse for his family and people that knew him than it is for me,” he said.

Those who knew Qiyuk in Ottawa remember him as an eager, hardworking young man who always wore a smile.

Garland first met Qiyuk over two years ago, when the then-teen showed up in his restaurant asking for an interview.

“Josh was standing at the bar in full chef regalia with his chef toque … he was ready to go,” he said.

Garland gave him a job that same day, and says he quickly became an indispensable staff member.

That doesn’t surprise celebrated Inuk chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, who was one of Qiyuk’s first mentors in Ottawa. She says Qiyuk was proud of his heritage and often helped her cater events that featured country food.

“I admired him … and just so proud of what he accomplished,” she said.

Qiyuk recently graduated from Algonquin College after finishing a culinary certificate program for Indigenous cooks.

Metcalfe-Coe calls Quyik’s death a huge loss for the culinary community especially in a city where there are so few Inuit chefs.

“You feel it more. It really has an impact, not just because he was aspiring to be this, but he’s from the Inuit community,” she said.

“He had dreams that he wanted to fulfill … and we wanted him to be a part of our dreams.”