The last time Patrick Garland saw Joshua Kiyuk was when the young chef was returning home from his shift at Garland's restaurant.
“I said, ‘You know, have a nice day, I’ll see you tomorrow. And he was like, 'Yeah, boss, I'll see you tomorrow, thanks,'” the owner of Absinthe told CBC News.
The next morning Kiyuk's body was found in the 400 block of Meadow Park Place. – a quiet residential area in the eastern part of Ottawa. The 21-year-old was stabbed to death.
Police say 21-year-old Joshua Kiyuk was found dead on an East End street Wednesday morning.
Mathieu Boisvert, who lives next door, found the body Wednesday morning. He described the experience as surreal.
“Nobody expects to start their day like this, but for his family and the people who knew him, it's much worse than it was for me,” he said.
Life ended
Those who knew Kiyuk in Ottawa remember him as an energetic, hard-working young man who was always smiling.
Garland first met Kiyuk more than two years ago when the then-teenager showed up at his restaurant and asked for an interview.
We wanted him to be part of our dream.– Trudy Metcalf-Coe, Inuk celebrity chef.
“Josh was standing at the bar in full chef's attire and his chef's hat… he was ready to go,” he said.
That same day, Garland gave him a job and says he quickly became irreplaceable employee.
It's not surprising celebrated Inuk chef Trudy Metcalf-Coe, who was one of Kiyuk's first mentors in Ottawa. She says Kiyuk was proud of his heritage and would often help her cater events that featured country cuisine.
“I admired him… and I'm very proud of what he accomplished,” she said.
Giyuk recently graduated from Algonquin College with a certificate from the Indigenous Chef Culinary Program.
Metcalf-Coe calls Quick'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 only because that's what he aspired to be, but because he's part of the Inuit community,” she said.
“He had dreams that he wanted to achieve… and we wanted him to be a part of our dreams.”
