Youth Food Skills: The Hillsborough Community Project

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

2. 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

3. What Are Food Skills? • As defined by The Waterloo Health Authority: In a household context, food skills include skill in five general categories: • • 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. The Project • Hillsborough Community Centre • 15 Kids ages 10-16 • 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

8. 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

9. Questions?