COMMUNITY KITCHENS

When people get together regularly in a public space to cook, that’s a community kitchen. Community kitchens offer the opportunity to share skills, socialize and reduce costs by purchasing collectively. Kitchens are as diverse in their purpose and organization as the people who participate in them –– some groups only prepare enough food to sit down and eat one meal together. Others prepare several meals in large portions to take home to their families. One group of immigrants may want to get together to cook "foods from home", another may prefer to practice their English or learn how to make new foods.

There are vegetarian kitchens, kitchens for new moms, kitchens that cater primarily to psychiatric consumer/survivors. There are no hard and fast rules about how to organize a community kitchen, just a few pointers and guidelines (and a knowledge and love of food helps). Here are a few examples of functioning community kitchen models

Every year, FoodShare offers periodic training workshops on getting a community kitchen started- COOKING OUT OF THE BOX - or on specific related skill topics, such as cooking workshops or conflict resolution.

For an excellent article on community kitchens by FoodShare's former kitchen manager Doris Bercarich, click here >>

Contact foodlink@foodshare.net to find an existing community kitchen near you in Toronto.

For key community kitchen resources check out the Learning Centre- Resource Library.

For more information on FoodShare's cooking training programs, contact Janet Armstrong, Kitchen Program Coordinator at 416. 363. 6441 xt 235 or email janet@foodshare.net