The Kitchen is Not Just for Cooking
Community Kitchen: two words that sound good together, but most people do not necessarily find that the word kitchen brings images of ‘community’ to mind.
In fact, most people would be surprised to learn that the participants of the Gloria Dei Community Kitchen for Newcomers / Immigrant Women have proven that the Community Kitchen is not just for cooking!
The Community Kitchen Spring sessions have seen splendid results - not only cooking up delicious and nutritious foods to dine on and take home, but also creating a community of belonging through conversation, cooking and connection. As one of the participants points out, quoted above, ‘The kitchen is not just for cooking, but for connecting.’
We all need to eat, but more importantly, we all need to have contact with others: it creates community, which studies have proven increase overall wellbeing, mental and physical health.
So the next time you are in need of a health boost, try cooking with someone - or join a cooking class. Or seek out a local Community Kitchen group you can participate in. You will be all the better for it: more connected, with increased good health, and well-fed!
~ Tanya Vipond, Gloria Dei Community Kitchen Facilitator
Participant Testimonials
. . . for me [the Community Kitchen] was the opportunity to meet new people with different backgrounds. The chance to prepare different dishes from other countries and/or adapt them with other ingredients. And, finally the chance to have a conversation about the consciousness to avoid wasting food. (Maria)
My feeling is that participating in such classes gives us a good feeling of being together and getting to know each other better so that we can communicate more with Canadian friends and get to know different cultures as new immigrants. In this cooking course, we practiced conversation in English, we talked sincerely, we said, heard, laughed, sympathized and experienced many other good feelings together. I sincerely thank you for organizing these excellent, friendly and free classes, and I am very grateful to the ladies Tanya, Lin, Vida and the rest of the organizers.’ (Noora)
I greatly appreciate you for facilitating the class. I really felt welcome. I also enjoyed delicious food and a well-organized team work very much. (Diana)