From his new office, Gene Mallette looks out over a chicken vendor, an Italian deli and a couple of vegetable stalls on the upper level of the Hamilton Farmers' Market.

That's very handy and more than appropriate, given that Mallette and his wife Murline own and operate the city's only professional chefs school.

Liaison College is marking 10 years of turning out trained cooks in Hamilton, about 1,000 of them to date, and is celebrating the anniversary by taking a big step into a new home.

They had a portion of the upper atrium level of Jackson Square rebuilt into a spacious and well-equipped series of kitchens, classrooms and rooms for entertaining. At one time it was the mall's food court and most recently a Chinese department store -- just up the escalator when you walk out from the market.

They've been in transition for a couple of months now, but opened the doors officially just last week.

And Mallette wants to make Liaison a place that folks who work or shop downtown can connect with more readily.

So he's thinking of offering a public dining experience on occasion, perhaps summertime concerts out on the large floor area that surrounds the atrium. Liaison's program is expanding to offer a new catering service for corporate or private events, either off premises or right in the college, and a sommelier course for anyone interested. And then there is the Wednesday night open house -- "the red carpet is always there, just knock on the door from 7 o'clock till whenever, and you can have the grand tour," Mallette says.

He's already working with market vendors to get them involved in the chefs' education, and, of course, the students will focus on shopping next door in return.

"It's a real bonus to be so close to the market, and the energy level of the mall is exciting," Mallette says. "The mall owners, the people from Yale (Properties) have been very generous, they've been incredible."

At 5,500 square feet, the new Liaison location is almost twice the size of the previous home on John Street South. The focal point within the walls, which are coloured avocado, chili powder red and saffron, is the enormous, gleaming professional main kitchen where students hone their skills.

There are 10 colleges in the Liaison chain in southern Ontario. While each is a franchised business, the curriculum and education standards are set and monitored by the provincial Ministry of Education. Mallette says graduates of the Hamilton school have a 98 per cent placement rate in their chosen field.

The classes are small and personal -- 16 full-time students at a time, seven people on staff supervising them -- and the program for beginners involves several weeks of theory (classroom instruction) before the aspiring chefs ever wield a knife in the kitchen. They then learn not just how to cook, but things like food cost management, food safety and waste reduction. After all, many of them will some day be running their own restaurant, where the cuisine will be as much business as art.

Andre Donnet, perhaps best known as the owner and chef of L'Escargot restaurant back in the 1970s and 1980s, was the very first instructor when Liaison Hamilton opened its doors.

"I'm very excited for them," he says. "This new facility is a very nice business card for them. It is wonderful that they are so successful."

And what do current students think?

Lindsay Vandekamp of Beamsville has studied at both the old and new colleges. She completed the cook's basics and personal chef courses, and is moving into the advanced and graduate programs.

"This place is great. The resources are awesome, and I like the way we can support local farmers. The staff here also really go out of their way to help you with job placements."

Fabiola Gonzalez is from Brantford and has just started her basic course, so she can't compare the new Liaison to the old. But she is excited nonetheless.

"I love to cook and have always heard good things about this school. The classes are small and the chefs here are very helpful and teaching us new things."

Jennifer Layden of Hamilton is another student who has just started her basic training. Like her classmate, this opening event was her first opportunity to actually work in the kitchen.

"I made sushi today for the first time. I've always wanted to be a chef. My dad was a chef, and I love to cook at home for my kids and family."

Still, she is looking forward to the next week or so, when she finally moves from the blackboard to kitchen work.

dkislenko@thespec.com

905-526-3450