P.E.I. spoiling for cooks

The Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. is trying to develop a strategy toaddressthe shortage of line cooks at Island restaurants.

'We need cooks that are trained to a specific need.' — Don Cudmore of TIAPEI

"Over the past few years, we've been hearing from some restaurant operators that there's been a shortage of line cooks, not chefs per se, but line cooks," TIAPEI executive director Don Cudmore told CBC News on Monday.

"We're just trying to find out how much that need is, how many we do need. We're trying to talk to some employers and employees, and just find out what the situation is."

Cudmore said while many sectors have been complaining about losing employees to Alberta, that doesn't appear to be the case with line cooks. Restaurateurs have been having trouble filling these positions for years, and roundtable discussions organized recently by the province again brought attention to the problem.

"We need cooks that are trained to a specific need," said Cudmore.

"What we're trying to do with employers now is just to determine what that need is and how we can best address it."

Cudmore said the most likely result of discussions with the industry will be a new training course for line cooks.