Meet our alumni
Themis Velgis - Advanced Pastry, Advanced Culinary, WSET
Original program: Advanced Pastry, Advanced Culinary, WSET
Alumni Information
School: LaSalle College Vancouver
Grad Year: 2005
Program of Study: Advanced Pastry, Advanced Culinary, WSET
Degree: Diploma
Employment/Professional Information
Company Name: Pura Foods, True Organics
Location: Vancouver and Arandas Jalisco, Mexico
Job Title: President and CEO
Primary Responsibilities: Management
Describe a Typical Work Day:
Coordinate couple production and call on some of our distributors overseas.
What accomplishments are you proud of?
Creating a brand a great brand and be able to position it on the market.
What are your creative inspirations or influences? Who are your heroes?
My family. My daughter Isabella is lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant, also my wife Danila and myself do not consume cane sugar and we are organic freaks. My wife is always creating new recipes for me and my other two kids, Sebastian and Massimo. That’s how I get inspired to create healthier and delicious products.
What do you enjoy the most about your career?
The excitement of creating great products and, of course, the traveling all over the world visiting our distributors and plantations for amazing ingredients.
How did your education at LaSalle College Vancouver help prepare you for your career?
It was the first step in to the great world of food.
What advice do you have for people beginning their careers in your profession?
Always work with passion, be the first to arrive and the last to leave. And make everybody remember you with a smile.
Your profession is constantly evolving, from the technology you use to new career opportunities that didn’t exist five years ago. What trends do you see on the horizon that will affect how you do your job or your profession at-large?
We are already working in the new trends “organic products”.
