10/16/2026
One of our “behind the scenes” culinary stars!
Barbara is an award-winning culinary professional with 30+ years bridging the worlds of professional kitchens, culinary education, business ownership, and competitive food judging.
She opened and operated Dessert Sinsations & Design- a retail gift and bakeshop in Winnipeg in 2000 and migrated the operation to a full-service bakery café for 15 years, in 2006: Dessert Sinsations Café.
Recognized at regional and national levels as a Judge for Canada’s Great Kitchen Party for a decade - she is known for deep expertise in the culinary and pastry arts, and flavor development. Barbara secured strategic partnerships that fuelled the competition’s profile and championed the advancement of Canadian Chefs.
Chef Barbara held the role of Chef Educator and curated a sustainable field-to-fork curriculum for Professional Baking at Assiniboine Community College, training hundreds of students while simultaneously building a thriving catering brand for the school bakery.
Chef O’Hara is burgeoning author and is currently writing an inspiring pastry cookbook. She spent this past summer working as Transport Logistics Coordinator with three hotel properties in beautiful Vancouver for FIFA Worldcup26.
Come and meet Barbara at the Road To Culinary Gold - Team Canada 🇨🇦 Bocuse d’Or Fundraiser on November 1st at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.
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