Growing Chefs! Ontario

Growing Chefs! is dedicated to uniting chefs, growers, educators and community members in food education projects for children and youth

the mission... To get kids excited about wholesome healthy food!

Growing Chefs! Ontario: provides children with the confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm to grow and prepare local, seasonal and healthy cuisine

GROWING

COMMUNITIES

COMMUNITY

BASED CULINARY

AND

AGRICULTURAL

EDUCATION

PROGRAMMING

FOR YOUTH

Growing Chefs!

Growing Communities

Community Centres

Conferences

Farmers’ Markets

Summer Camp

After School Programs

Youth Groups

Growing Communities

By The Numbers

2012/2013:

- Over 90 cooking classes

offered in partnership

with over 15 community

organizations

- Over 140 paid hours for

youth chef apprentices

- Over 900 children/youth

participants (ages 3 – 24)

What makes Growing Communities successful?:

• Portable

• Properly trained

Instructors

• Partnerships

• Adaptability

• Community

Givebacks

THE HISTORY OF GROWING COMMUNITIES

COOK IT UP!

A Food education

and skill building

program for at-risk

youth

Facilitated by:

The London

Community

Resource Centre

And

The Middlesex

London Health Unit

LONDON COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE: Cook It Up! A How-To Manual

Cook It Up! How-to Manual

Planning, Implementing, & Evaluating a Community-based Cooking Program

London Community Resource Centre

London, ON

November 1, 2010

For information, please contact:

Linda Davies, Executive Director London Community Resource Centre

652 Elizabeth Street. London, Ontario

N5Y 6L3 phone: 519-432-1801 e-mail:linda@lcrc.on.ca

http://lcrc.on.ca > Resources > Food Security Resources and Reports

> Cook It Up!

DESIGNING COOKING AND FOOD SKILLS PROGRAMS

• Is it Interesting?

• Is it Engaging?

• Is it Useful?

• Is it FUN?

INTERESTING ENGAGING USEFUL FUN

Will the participants want to eat what they make?

INTERESTING ENGAGING USEFUL FUN

• Understand what the kids you are working with have to gain from the

activity

• Organize and deliver the activity in a way that is relevant to the

participants.

• What are they learning in school that they can relate the activity to?

EXAMPLE #1

Children who are 3 – 7 years

Skills: measurement (math), following a recipe (literacy), identifying

ingredients (geography/history), following instructions in a specific

order, cleaning up.

Example:

Salsa

EXAMPLE #2

Children who are 8-12 years

Skills:

• Some chopping

with safe choppers

• washing/cleaning

produce

• food safety

• seasoning exercise

• managing work

space

• mis en place

EXAMPLE #3

Youth Ages 13- 18

Skills:

• knife skills

• altering recipes

• washing/cleaning

produce

• Seasoning

• Meal planning

• historical/geographical/

cultural context

• following

detailed/complex

instructions

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

GROWING COMMUNITIES FUND

GROWING COMMUNITIES FUND

• Contributing Partners:

Libro Financial Group

The Joseph Rea Fund for the Environment

The London Community Foundation

The Springs Restaurant

Kantina Restaurant

Milo’s Craft Beer Emporium

Thank You!