The last time Patrick Garland saw Joshua Qiyuk, the young chef was heading home after a shift at Garland’s restaurant.
“I told him have a good day, see you tomorrow. And he said, ‘Yes, chef, see you tomorrow, thank you,'” the Absinthe owner 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 was stabbed to death.
Police say Joshua Qiyuk, 21, was found dead on an east end street Wednesday morning.
Matthieu Boisvert, a resident of the neighborhood, found the body on Wednesday morning. He described the experience as surreal.
“No one expects to start the day like this, but it’s a lot worse for his family and the people who knew him than it is for me,” he said.
A life cut short
Those who knew Qiyuk in Ottawa remember him as an enthusiastic, hard-working young man who always had a smile.
Garland first met Qiyuk more than two years ago, when the then-teenager showed up at his restaurant asking for an interview.
We wanted him to be part of our dreams.– Trudy Metcalfe-Coe, celebrity Inuk chef
“Josh was standing at the bar in all his chef attire and chef touch…he was ready to go,” she said.
Garland gave him a job that same day and says he quickly became a indispensable member of staff.
that’s not surprising celebrity 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 organize events featuring country food.
“I admired him… and was very proud of what he accomplished,” she said.
Qiyuk recently graduated from Algonquin College after completing a culinary certification program for Indigenous cooks.
Metcalfe-Coe calls Quyik’s death a great loss to the culinary community, especially in a city where there are so few Inuit chefs.
“You feel it more. “She really makes an impact, not just because she aspired to be one, but because she’s from the Inuit community,” he said.
“He had dreams he wanted to fulfill… and we wanted him to be part of our dreams.”
