Dawson City hotel scrambles to find qualified chefs

A Dawson City hotel wants to continue offering European cuisinebut it has a problem: it needs skilledchefs.

Paul Wettstein owns the Aurora Inn and restaurant. He sayshe won't be able to open the restaurant this summer unless the Yukon Government approves his application for foreign workers.

Wettsteinsays he cannot find Canadians with the skills required to prepare European cuisine inan elegant restaurant setting in Dawson City.

The seasonalhotel restaurant offers meals such as beef carpaccioand breadedschnitzel as well asMediterranean dishes in addition tosteaks, salads, salmon and burgers.

Restaurant has relied on foreign workers

Last summerWettsteinhad three foreign workers employed under a Yukon Government pilot program.

The program has since been cancelled. In the fall Wettsteinapplied under the YukonNomineeprogram to bring those employees back but he says it's been a frustrating experience.

Wettsteinsayshis file was passed among a couple of different government workers, with assurances the matter wouldbe resolved.

Now hesays the tourism season is about to beginand he's without chefs.

"It is May now, I need to be able to plan the season. I cannot open my restaurant without cooks and I have sevenjobs forYukonersat stake as well because if I can't open the restaurant, all those servers and an additional cook, they don'thave a job either."

Wettstein says he might open the restaurantwithout if he can get at leastone chefand an additional helper, but "with a smaller menu."

Applicant 'fails' language test with 4.5 out of 5

One of the German speakingapplicants,Christian Schiffner has aMasters degree in culinary artsaccording to Wettstein. He saysSchiffnerfailed Canada'slanguage requirement test byscoring 4.5 out of 5.

Wettstein says this standard is too strict and doesn't apply to workers in the Nominee Program who are coming for service-level jobs.

"Someone who wants to work at the till at Tim Hortons or Super Store or as a taxi driver, the requirement is a 4 in the language test."

Wettstein says he's still waiting to hear about the other two applicants and hopes Schiffner'srejection is overturned.

'These people are specialized'

The last-minute scramble worries Nadia Sollosy, a single mother,who has worked at the restaurant as a server part time in addition to her usual day job.

"I'm depending on it," she says. "It's not as if they're coming in and taking somebody's job these people are specialized in their field of work, they're chefs."

She adds that the restaurant adds a flairto the northern Yukon town.

"People have to understand this is Dawson, we don't have chefs and I mean the Aurora Inn is known for its Europeancuisine."

The Yukon Department of Educationgovernment has declined to comment on the specific case. The government says language requirements are set by the Federal government and cannot be altered in Yukon.

The department says last year about a quarter of applicants were rejected.