Innovation at the Intersection: Merging Business and Culinary Skills

Innovation is a core value at Humber Polytechnic and a cornerstone of the Humber Academic Plan 2023-2026. Our faculty are at the heart of this innovation ecosystem—tackling industry challenges, reimagining learning in the classroom, fostering deeper partnerships, and making a lasting impact.

In this series, Innovation at the Intersection, we explore innovative research projects that are driving positive change at Humber and beyond.   

By Saran Davaajargal

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a hallmark of Humber Polytechnic’s educational approach. Hanadi Alnawab, M.Sc., Program Coordinator of the Digital Business Management B.Comm degree program, partnered with the Baking and Pastry Arts program to provide students with experiential learning opportunities. The project combined technical and transferable skills, preparing students for the workplace through hands-on problem solving, teamwork and innovation.

As part of this research project, students in the BUS 2504 Web Development course taught by Hanadi collaborated with students in the BAKE 253 Bakery Management and Entrepreneurship class taught by Chef Alastair Gray. The Web Development course students developed information websites to promote the bakers’ products, helping them sell their products at Gourmet Express of Humber Polytechnic’s North Campus.

Student teams from the BUS and BAKE classes worked together and built on each other’s expertise to achieve their course learning outcomes, deliver their final projects and sell their baked products. As part of the project, the research team investigated the following for the classes:

• Technical skills acquired in this project (for example, business entrepreneurship and web development skills)
• Transferable skills such as group collaboration, adaptability, project management, time management and professional communication
• Student engagement and motivation
• Workplace readiness

Asked to define research in her own words, Hanadi says, “Research is playing with new ideas, especially when the parameters are not clear, and there are lots of variables. Research is about exploring new ideas and trying new things.”

This interdisciplinary collaborative project has a positive impact on both students and faculty. In addition to creating opportunities for students to participate in meaningful experiential learning, the project also provides students with the tools to be career-ready citizens by helping them sharpen the following skills:

• collaboration: through connecting the BUS 2540 student teams with the BAKE 253
• communication: regular meetings between teams in the two programs
• digital fluency: development of a website as part of the teams’ online presence
• innovation: using MethodKits in both classes for brainstorming, critical thinking and problem solving
• leadership: students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills
• professionalism: students from both teams will need to maintain professional communications

In alignment with Priority 3: Empowering Teaching and Learning of Humber’s Academic Plan, the project also supports faculty initiating projects that enable innovation and create new teaching and learning methods at Humber.

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Nous remercions le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG) de son soutien.