NorthOttawa chefs remember 21-year-old stabbing victim Joshua Qiyuk as a curious, joyful young man who was on his way to a successful career in the culinary arts. Colleagues, mentors remember 21-year-old Joshua Qiyuk for his curiosity and bright smileAnchal Sharma · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 10:58 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesJoshua Qiyuk (centre) with mentors and chefs Trudy Metcalfe-Coe (left) and Georges Laurier (right). Qiyuk’s body was found on Wednesday in the St. Laurent Boulevard neighbourhood. (Submitted by Georges Laurier)The last time Patrick Garland saw Joshua Qiyuk, the young chef was on his way home after a shift at Garland’s restaurant.“I said you know, have a good day, I’ll see you tomorrow. And he was like, ‘yes, chef, I’ll see you tomorrow, thank you,'” the owner of Absinthe told CBC News. The next morning, Qiyuk’s body was found in the 400 block of Meadow Park Place — a quiet residential area in Ottawa’s east end. The 21-year-old had been stabbed to death. WATCH | Inuk chef identified as victim in Ottawa stabbing:Ottawa police name victim in city’s latest homicidePolice say 21-year-old Joshua Qiyuk was found dead on an east-end street Wednesday morning. Ottawa police identify man found dead after stabbingMatthieu Boisvert who lives in the neighbourhood, found the body on Wednesday morning. He described the experience as surreal. “No one expects to start their day like that, but it’s far worse for his family and people that knew him than it is for me,” he said. Matthieu Boisvert found Joshua Qiyuk’s body on Wednesday morning. (Francis Ferland/CBC)A life cut short Those who knew Qiyuk in Ottawa remember him as an eager, hardworking young man who always wore a smile. Garland first met Qiyuk over two years ago, when the then-teen showed up in his restaurant asking for an interview. We wanted him to be part of our dreams.- Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, celebrated Inuk chef “Josh was standing at the bar in full chef regalia with his chef toque … he was ready to go,” he said. Garland gave him a job that same day, and says he quickly became an indispensable staff member. Joshua Qiyuk recently completed a culinary certificate program for Indigenous cooks at Algonquin College. (Facebook)That doesn’t surprise celebrated Inuk chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, who was one of Qiyuk’s first mentors in Ottawa. She says Qiyuk was proud of his heritage and often helped her cater events that featured country food. “I admired him … and just so proud of what he accomplished,” she said. Qiyuk recently graduated from Algonquin College after finishing a culinary certificate program for Indigenous cooks.Chef Patrick Garland of Absinthe (far right) still remembers the day Qiyuk showed up to Garland’s restaurant to ask for an interview, raring to go. (Submitted by Patrick Garland)Metcalfe-Coe calls Quyik’s death a huge loss for the culinary community especially in a city where there are so few Inuit chefs.”You feel it more. It really has an impact, not just because he was aspiring to be this, but he’s from the Inuit community,” she said. “He had dreams that he wanted to fulfill … and we wanted him to be a part of our dreams.” ABOUT THE AUTHORAnchal Sharma is a CBC journalist based in Ottawa. Send her an email at anchal.sharma@cbc.ca
Ottawas culinary community mourns young Inuk chef killed in stabbing
