During the pandemic I set up two community kitchens in London. In a kitchen that was attached to a church in Notting Hill we were able to deliver over 2000 nutritious and delicious meals to vulnerable people in the area every week. I was humbled by the outpouring of support especially from my London chef network. At the time, community spirit was alive and all over the country people were cooking for each other and make shift community kitchens were popping up everywhere. One of the challenges that I faced was that there was limited information available on how to run a community kitchen and also very few resources in terms of cooking meals in bulk. This can be a challenge because for the recipe to work when you are cooking for 100’s of people, it is not just a matter of taking an existing recipe and multiplying it. Back then I started to think about taking all of the learnings from my experience and sharing this online. I became aware of a demand for training programs tailored to chefs interested in cooking within community kitchens. Cooking in that environment, upscaling recipes and cooking with surplus food differs greatly from cooking in a restaurant.
Fast forward to 2024 and The Good Kitchen here in Sicily. We have successfully created a community kitchen that is the heart and soul of the town. I have gained a great deal more experience since I was cooking in the community kitchens in London during the pandemic and it is now time to share all of those skills and knowledge with a wider audience. Initially I just imagined that I would create resources for community cooking to be shared online but then I started to think about young chefs and how they could be involved. I remembered my time in London mentoring young chefs and my dismay at the fact that chef apprenticeships are no longer popular and sadly in the UK they do not feature in the top 10 choices for young people. Since the pandemic, restaurants globally are struggling, add another layer of the cost of living crises and the future does not seem bright for any young chef. I started to think that maybe, just maybe, a career for a young chef could be more appealing if there was a community element to it as well. Keeping this thought front and centre I have decided to run a workshop for young chefs here in Mussomeli in November.
DATES - Friday the 22nd of November to Thursday the 28th of November 2024. THE GOOD KITCHEN Mussomeli.
Selection criteria will rely on advice and guidance from partnering organisations. Selected chefs must already be either involved or volunteering with a community food based project OR actively involved in community projects with their current employer.
Attendees - Two from Sicily / Two from San Patrignano / Two from the UK / Two from Mussomeli
The chefs will be totally immersed in The Good Kitchen, learning everything that is involved in running the project. Cooking, upscaling recipes, how to rescue food and most importantly how we have created a vibrant and active community. We will then run break out sessions to discuss what an online community food portal could look like. Here is a “brainstorm” of ideas for the workshop aside from cooking and learning about The Good Kitchen:
Kick off in Palermo at my friends restaurant Molti Volti - an Italian charity, they train refugees and assist them with their new lives in Sicily
“Train the Trainer session” students will learn how to teach basic community based recipes
How to run kids cooking classes
Session on fundraising, running Supper Clubs and food based events
Session on writing business plans, grants and proposals
Session on marketing and social media
How to build a community
How to look after volunteers
How to create a “no waste” kitchen - pickling and preserving
Sustainability / The Food System / nutritious meals in a “meat free” kitchen
A remote “open day” where we invite leaders in the field to share their experiences of community kitchens
Cook a sit down meal for over 200 people here in Mussomeli using rescued food
Visiting food producers, social enterprises and farms in the heart of Sicily
Volunteering organisations and opportunities around the world
We will create an online open document that anyone from around the world can contribute to and promote on social media. The document will have the basics of the community cooking portal
By the end of the workshop we will have the outline of a community food portal that will be available for everyone worldwide. I don’t expect the young chefs to suddenly be motivated to start a community kitchen, my dream is that they will be inspired to see what they can do in their immediate environment either in their workplace or at home. My plan is to create an opportunity for the young chefs to connect, support and learn from each other.
Immediately after the workshop I will apply for funding to create the online portal and run the first community cooking course for young chefs in Mussomeli in 2025. My dream is that the course will grow in popularity each year and that over time we will have an engaged global network of young chefs who are giving back through food. I am confident that we will be able to secure funding and / or grants for the course. This year we were successful in securing an Erasmus grant for 2 full time volunteers partnering with Acri Strauss here in Mussomeli.
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