Youth Food Skills: The Hillsborough Community Project Christopher Sallie, ADCO

About Me  Christopher Sallie: Journey men Red Seal and diploma in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of Canada  Completing an Applied Degree in Culinary Operations at The Culinary Institute of Canada; expected to graduate Spring 2014  Several years experience in fine dining  Founding member of The CIC Garden Club  Profiled in both Macleans magazine and CBC

What Are Food Skills?  As defined by The Waterloo Health Authority: In a household context, food skills include skill in five general categories:The Waterloo Health Authority  knowledge about food, nutrition and cooking  planning for healthy meals, and for including children—to develop their food skills  conceptualizing outcomes, like adjusting recipes and using leftovers  mechanical techniques for food preparation  perception of food characteristics, like taste, texture and when food is properly cooked

Why Food Skills are important?  They are essential life skills that allow for healthier lifestyles and improved general health  Provides a sense of empowerment and confidence  Are life-long skills that can be passed down from generation to generation  Creates a connection with our community and cultural heritage, reaffirming our sense of belonging

Food skills in the past  Oral traditions that have been passed down from mothers to daughters  Soldiers returning from WWII developed an affinity for pre-packaged and easy foods; the beginning of a processed food culture  As women left the kitchens and entered the board rooms, these skills were greatly undervalued for their significance and these traditions were lost.  Taught in the community, by the community (church groups, Amish communities, community organizations)

Food Skills today  The advent of The Food Channel has changed how these skills are taught.  Class standing has an impact on how these skills are learned:  Those with higher incomes tend to eat out more and have greater access to healthier foods whereas those in the lower income bracket tend to cook more at home  Those with higher incomes tend to get their learning from books whereas those in lower income brackets tend to receive their learning through classes and instructional lessons  Those with lower incomes tend to have greater food skills but tend to have less access to healthier foods

The Project  Hillsborough Community Centre  15 Kids ages  Classes take place from after school to 5 pm Monday’s and Wednesdays for 4 weeks  Kids prepare meals and set place settings for “Family style” supper  Meals include 1 protein, 2 vegetables, 1 starch and a salad  Kids use flyers from the local grocery store to select what meal they would like to prepare the following class  Rules exist in the kitchen and at the table that centre around Respect, Responsibility and Fairness.  Children are supervised by program coordinator and parent volunteers

Observations  Most kids are enthusiastic to participate while others are more hesitant  Not all people like to cook  Some kids are more accustomed to working with knives than others, but all are supportive of each other. There is no judging  Community is very supportive of this initiative

Questions?