COOKING LUNCH FOR THEMSELVES
The Cooking Program at The Element nurtures this philosophy— students must try what is being cooked for them. They don’t have to like it, but they have to try it. The tone for this philosophy is set on the Odyssey Trip where students must eat what is cooked for them; there aren’t many other options out in the wilderness.
The goal of the Cooking Program is to develop nutritious, delicious and whole foods by cooking from scratch. As an introduction to the program, students started by preparing side dishes to supplement their lunches. This included salads, dips and soups. After participating in a food-handling workshop by Ottawa Public Health and the nutrition seminar with a registered nutritionist, students are now ready to begin cooking full lunches.
In small groups, students will cook hot lunches for The Element community three days a week. Students are responsible for the menu, recipes, grocery list, grocery trip and the preparation of the meal. Student cooking teams organize themselves to accomplish this impressive task, which then benefits the community at large.
