Beedie School of Business News

The following press release was published by SFU Public Affairs and Media Relations.  

A team of entrepreneurial Simon Fraser University students competing at this weekend’s Enactus Canada western regional exposition will advance to the nationals, while another SFU teammate has been recognized with a top leadership award.

The student-team from Enactus SFU secured a win in the Capital One Financial Education Challenge, one of three topic challenges at the exposition held in Calgary, involving more than 400 student leaders, academics and entrepreneurs from B.C. to Manitoba.

Students compete by showcasing the impact they’ve had in their communities through the entrepreneurial initiatives they’ve created. Beedie School of Business undergrads Taimur Naveed and Leslie Chow, and School of Interactive Arts and Technology designer Ronaldo Pagaduan will move on after highlighting a pair of financial literacy programs, Count on Me and Hunger Actions. Keep reading…

Tags: 2013 HSBC Women Leader of Tomorrow, Banner Bags, Beedie School of Business, Capital One Financial Education Challenge, Chantelle Buffie, Count on Me, Enactus, Enactus SFU, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, Fusion Kitchen, Hunger Actions, JumpStart, Leslie Chow, Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge, SEY, SIFE, Simon Fraser University, social entrepreneurship, social innnovation, Student Entrepreneur of the Year, Taimur Naveed, TD Entrepreneurship Challenge

Fusion Kitchen, a community-minded entrepreneurship initiative that was founded by two Simon Fraser University students and fostered in the Beedie School of Business Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, recently hosted a special event focused on the culinary traditions of Pakistan.

Entitled  “A Taste of Pakistan”, the gathering of gourmands took place on February 8. In groups of three, Beedie students, and alumni, as well as newcomers to Fusion Kitchen, worked together to cook up a five-course Pakistani meal at the cooking class led by recent Pakistani immigrant Shahnaz Afasr.

Guests not only learned how to cook up ethnic dishes, but were also taught about Pakistani culture, their different occasions and holidays, as well as weddings.

Fusion Kitchen is the brainchild of SFU Beedie student Chantelle Buffie and SFU Communications student Sonam Swarup, who are actively involved in Enactus SFU (formerly Students in Free Enterprise, or SIFE Simon Fraser). The social venture works to create opportunities for recent female immigrants by connecting students interested in creating ethnic dishes with cooking class teachers.

Not formally trained in cooking, Afsar has over 25 years of teaching experience in her native country, but has had difficulty finding employment in Vancouver, which she immigrated to three years ago.

Wrapping up the final publicly held class of Fusion Kitchen, Buffie and Swarup are set to speak at the upcoming PechaKucha Vancouver on February 28. The pair will be speaking along side ten other women in a themed talk entitled “Women Transforming Cities”, where speakers will explore the theme of designing an ideal city for women and girls.

For more information on Fusion Kitchen, visit www.thefusionkitchen.com

Photo Credit: Fusion Kitchen Facebook Album - Christine Liew

Tags: Chantelle Buffie, Fusion Kitchen, social entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator

Sonam Swarup and Chantelle Buffie, founders of Fusion Kitchen, and winners of community engagement competition, BC Ideas

A Beedie School of Business student social enterprise start-up has been selected as one of three university project winners in new province-wide community engagement competition, BC Ideas.

The start-up, Fusion Kitchen, was chosen in the BC Ideas University Solutions Investment category, for putting forth an idea which creates positive social impact in BC communities. Fusion Kitchen employs immigrant women to lead cooking classes, in the process sharing their food and cultures, while learning transferable skills for the Canadian job market.

The brainchild of SFU Beedie School of Business undergrad Chantelle Buffie and SFU communications student Sonam Swarup, Fusion Kitchen will now benefit from $4667 in funding donated by SFU, UBC, and the University of Victoria. Keep reading…

Tags: BC Ideas, Beedie School of Business, Change Makers, Chantelle Buffie, community engagement, Fusion Kitchen, gordon hogg, Simon Fraser University, social challenges, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, social innovation, Sonam Swarup

Beedie student Chantelle Buffie was chosen for the Top 24 under 24 list for her venture, Fusion Kitchen

Two Beedie School of Business undergraduate students have been named amongst the province’s best and brightest in a new list by prominent Vancouver daily newspaper, 24 Hours.

BBA students Chantelle Buffie and Japreet Lehal have been selected in the 2012 Top 24 Under 24 list. The list recognizes BC’s top students who are making waves in the region through entrepreneurial spirit, volunteering and technological innovation.

Buffie was chosen for the list for her venture Fusion Kitchen, which helps recent immigrant women in BC develop transferable skill sets, work experience and self-confidence as they integrate into society through teaching cooking classes focused on dishes from their native culture.

Buffie developed Fusion Kitchen in 2011 in partnership with her co-creator and fellow SFU student Sonam Swarup. Since its creation, the pair further developed the venture when they participated in the first cohort of the Beedie School of Business’ new program, the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator.

“I am delighted to be selected for the Top 24 under 24 list and to be recognized for the work Fusion Kitchen has been doing to help immigrant women,” says Buffie. “The faculty support and resources which have been made available to me at the Beedie School of Business have been instrumental in my success as an aspiring entrepreneur. I am extremely grateful to the Beedie School of Business for allowing me to begin my entrepreneurial endeavours and look forward to developing the venture further in the future.” Keep reading…

Tags: 24 Hours, Chantelle Buffie, entrepreneurship, Fusion Kitchen, GoResearch.ca, innovation, Japreet Lehal, Research, sfu, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, technology, Top 24 under 24, volunteering

Chantelle Buffie and Sonam Swarup, founders of Fusion Kitchen, the first winner of the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator

Over the last semester, students at the Beedie School of Business have been bringing to life projects to address tomorrow’s social, environmental and economic challenges with help from the new Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (SEA) program.

The brainchild of Beedie lecturer Shawn Smith, the program ran for six weeks at the SFU Surrey campus, with $10,000 in support from Vancity, and allowed students to enter as teams or individuals in order to generate a feasible business model to further their social venture concepts.

The students worked with assigned mentors in a lab-like atmosphere and had guest speakers share their experience in launching start-up companies. Teams were initially given $400 each in start-up capital, with the top three teams at the end of the program awarded $2500, $1500 and $500 respectively.

“The SFU Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator was intended to mimic the realities of starting a social purpose company,” explains Smith. “The program emerged as we recognized that while many students come up with interesting social venture ideas in current more introductory classes, very few were moving forward to launch. We wanted them to have the support and structure needed to take those first steps as entrepreneurs – once you self-identify as an entrepreneur there is no going back!” Keep reading…

Tags: BAGS, Chantelle Buffie, EcoEats, entrepreneurship, Fusion Kitchen, innovation, SEA, SFU Surrey, Shawn Smith, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, social innovation, Sonam Swarup, start-ups, sustainability, Vancity

The following article was published by Burnaby Now on July 6, 2012.

Cooking up opportunities: Simon Fraser University students Sonam Swarup and Chantelle Buffie started Fusion Kitchen, a business where immigrant women lead cooking classes, sharing their food and cultures, while learning transferable skills for the Canadian job market.

Two Simon Fraser University students have created a business where immigrant women host cooking classes; gaining work experience while sharing their cultures.

Surrey resident Chantelle Buffie and New Westminster’s Sonam Swarup – both in their early 20s – came up with Fusion Kitchen in a social entrepreneurship class at SFU.

“It was just natural for us to gravitate towards working with immigrant women. We have our own mothers, and our own families come from immigrant situations as well, and we both love food,” Buffie said. “Food is the best medium where people connect and where the traditional barriers are broken down.”

Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Chantelle Buffie, entrepreneurship, Fusion Kitchen, sfu, SFU Beedie, Simon Fraser University, social entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, Social Venture Accelerator, Sonam Swarup

Contact:
Shawn Smith, Beedie School, 778.782.9262, ssmithe@sfu.ca
Derek Moscato, Beedie School, 778.782.5038, derek_moscato@sfu.ca
Chantelle Buffie, 604.763.7211, clb14@sfu.ca
Sonam Swarup, 604.809.5477, slswarup@sfu.ca
Lorraine Wilson, 778.837.0394, mediarelations@vancity.com

Students at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University can further their social venture ideas with the launch of the new Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (SEA) program, starting this semester at the SFU Surrey campus.

The program provides students with the resources to generate feasible business models, meet with clients to discuss project details, and gain an understanding of social impact. Students enter as individuals or teams, or join a team in the class.

With $10,000 in support from Vancity, the initiative will help entrepreneurially-minded students move their concepts towards reality and develop projects that will help address tomorrow’s social, environmental, and economic challenges. Keep reading…

Tags: Adam Wizinsky, Alee Furman, Alexis Dalzell, Chantelle Buffie, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, Fusion Kitchen, Green Dirt, Shawn Smith, social entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, social venture, Social Venture Accelerator, Sonam Swarup, Vancity

A pair of students at Simon Fraser University has cooked up an idea that may help more immigrant women land jobs – and give profile to their cultural cuisine.

Fusion Kitchen’s goal is to develop the transferable skill sets, work experience and self-confidence of recent female immigrants through teaching ethnic cooking classes focused on dishes from their culture.

Chantelle Buffie and Sonam Swarup, both actively involved with Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Simon Fraser, decided to start their own social venture and hosted a pilot project for Fusion Kitchen in December featuring a Fijian teacher. Keep reading…

Tags: Chantelle Buffie, entrepreneurship, Fusion Kitchen, SIFE, Sonam Swarup