Meet the Executive Chef
Dan McCowan
Executive chef
Introducing Dan McCowan, our Executive Chef at Conestoga College & Bloom Restaurant.
McCowan graduated from the Chef Apprentice program at George Brown College in 2003. After spending some time working in Toronto restaurants, he returned to the region to serve as executive chef for The Bauer Kitchen and Charcoal Steakhouse before turning to his own venture, Red House, in April 2013.
Dan owned and operated the local-favourite restaurant for over 11 years before deciding to close it's doors in August 2024 to focus on his role at the college.
"I'm excited to be part of the team at Conestoga and see how I can help grow the culinary program. I've really come to enjoy the collaboration and coaching side of things at this point in my career."
-Dan McCowan
Excellence in education
Bloom is located within Conestoga's School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts – a leader in culinary and hospitality programming that prepares students for successful careers in Canada's dynamic tourism industry. Following a $58 million campus expansion at Conestoga's Waterloo campus in 2018, students now have access to state-of-the-art culinary skills labs.
Conestoga is Ontario's only college included in the Institut Lyfe (formerly Institut Paul Bocuse) Alliance Network, the leading global network of education excellence for culinary arts and the hospitality trades.
Taste Academy workshops
Explore the culinary and baking workshops offered in Conestoga's labs.