A Humber College alumna has been recognized by an annual awards program that honours the food service and hospitality industry’s top young performers.

Liezle Espejo, who graduated from the Culinary Management program in 2013, has been named as one of Kostuch Media’s 2022 Top 30-Under-30 award winners. She’s currently a sous chef with The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.

Espejo’s time at Humber proved fruitful. In addition to the skills and experience she gained before graduating, she received the Cecile Girard-Hicks Memorial Award, a President’s Medal and won gold at Skills Ontario in the Culinary Arts division before moving on to compete at Skills Canada.

In 2018, Espejo received her Red Seal certificate.

Culinary Management program coordinator and professor Michael Teune and professor Francisco Rivera served as Espejo’s mentors for several of the competitions she entered and also taught her at Humber. Teune remembers her as “super motivated, detail oriented and hyper focused” in class.

“She was a great student and she's a great culinarian with a passion for food,” said Teune. “I wasn't surprised to see her receive the award because she’s such a high achiever and is so driven, but I was super proud she was recognized because she definitely deserves it.”

Espejo started in the Culinary Skills program before transferring to Culinary Management.

After graduation, Espejo worked at Bymark in Toronto and a few other restaurants before relocating to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta to work as the chef de partie of banquets. Espejo loved the experience of being at a hotel and said she felt supported at her job.

“My advice to young cooks is, if you want to succeed, you need to put in the commitment and you need to be at a place that recognizes your hard work. At the Fairmont Jasper, I got that,” said Espejo.

Still, with a young son at home and a husband also working in the hospitality industry, the long hours and evening work demanded by the job became more burdensome for Espejo and her young family.

They began talking about moving back to Toronto where they would be closer to family and their support. When she learned of an opening at the Ritz-Carlton, she went for it.

Espejo landed the role of senior cook with banquet operations – which technically was a slight demotion from her previous job – and embraced the opportunity. She was eager to learn.  

She was hired in October 2019 and Espejo spent time at The Ritz-Carlton's Toca Restaurant during the pandemic before playing a large role in the opening of its Epoch Bar & Kitchen Terrace in the summer of 2021. She pioneered the reopening of the banquet department post pandemic and that's when she landed the role of sous chef.

She’s now in charge of The Ritz-Carlton's banquet team as banquets sous chef.

Espejo plans on staying in that role for the time being as she says she still has lots to learn. However, the ultimate goal is to become an executive chef at a hotel.

Rosanna Caira, editor and publisher of Kostuch Media’s Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier magazines, said it’s important to have the annual awards to recognize young people in the industry doing great things.

“The pandemic has certainly impacted the hospitality industry in many significant ways, especially on the labour front,” said Caira. “More than ever, it’s important to recognize the young talent that calls this industry home as they grow and evolve to become tomorrow’s leaders.”

Espejo isn’t big on recognition as she prefers to “put my head down and let my food speak for me” but said she’s embracing her inclusion on the list and hopes she will serve as an example for her son and others in her industry.

Learn more about Humber’s Culinary Management program by watching this video.