Happy winter to our Growing Chefs community!
We are thrilled to be back to support B.C. kids and families through edible education programming this year. There are many winter-ful updates and upcoming community events, we can’t wait to share them all with you!
In this newsletter, we’re going back in time with a Year-In-Review to celebrate our community’s hard work over this past year. Additionally, we’ll be highlighting a sweet celebration to cure your winter blues!
Thank you to everyone who supported the Growing Chefs community over the past year, from educators, volunteers, donors, chefs, and more. Together, we hope to continue sowing the seeds of change in 2024.
– Amanda & Madi, Co-Executive Directors
Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2024
The Hot Chocolate Festival is back — bigger and sweeter than ever!
We’re grateful and excited to share that we’ve been selected again as a charitable partner, alongside the incredible Vancouver Farmers Market’s Fresh to Families program, for the Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival 2024! Last year, cafés and bakeries around Vancouver whipped up innovative and scrumptious drinks to participate in the festival, and generously donated over $20,000 in proceeds to support our work in the community.
Come brace the chilly winter from now until February 14th and support the Growing Chefs and Fresh to Families communities with a cozy cocoa in hand.
Check out the list of participating restaurants and amazing flavours below.
Learn more about VFM’s Fresh to Families program:
The Fresh to Families program provides access to fresh, locally grown food to lower-income families, pregnant women, and seniors. Program participants get the dignity to choose the foods that work best for them and every dollar redeemed goes straight to BC farmers and producer vendors. Learn more about the program and support the program with your donations.
Growing Chefs Society Annual General Meeting on February 25th, 2024 from 1-2:30 PM.
Notice of 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Growing Chefs Society: Sunday, February 25th, 2024 from 1-2:30 PM. Stay tuned for more exciting and tasty updates!
Year In Review 2023
Each year brings new opportunities to grow and unique challenges to face.
2023 was a big year for Growing Chefs as we expanded our programs, team, and hosted our largest annual gala, From Farms to Forks, to date!
🥕 WINTER 🥕
Volunteers leading edible education lesson for the Classroom Gardening & Cooking Program.
1) Classroom Gardening & Cooking Program: Together we explored the ins and outs of growing, cooking, and local food systems. Kids created and tasted salads and stir-frys from garden grown veggies, expressed how food makes them feel, and connected to nature and their community.
We reached 22 classrooms and over 600 students across B.C.
Adopt-A-Classroom: Our donors supported 6 classrooms in receiving edible education programming.
2) LunchLAB: We mentored and served students accessible, nourishing, and culturally-relevant school lunches at Lord Roberts Elementary and Total Education Secondary School.
The Vancouver School Board recognized LunchLAB as a model program and recommended its implementation in high need schools.
3) Annual General Meeting: We reviewed our Annual Report 2021/2022 and said goodbye to Amrit Minhas who retired from the Board of Directors and his Treasurer role.
Organization Updates: We welcomed Merri Schwartz, GC Founder, to support the organization as Interim Co-Executive Director – Communications & Engagement, Jaydeen Williams, went on parental leave.
🍅 Spring/Summer 🍅
LunchLAB service at Lord Roberts Elementary School
1) Family Evening Cooking Classes: Our workshops, developed and led by Chef Jay, created spaces within schools for families to learn kitchen skills, transform low-cost ingredients into nourishing meals, and connect with community.
2) LunchLAB : We introduced our Student Chef Mentorship Program at Lord Roberts Elementary where former LunchLAB participants mentored new cohorts. We planted, harvested, and cooked lots of veggies (greens, squash, potatoes, etc.) from our school gardens at Total Education and Lord Roberts!
Growing Chefs and Fresh Roots brought LunchLAB pop-ups to John Norquay and Admiral Seymour Elementary Schools.
3) Sodalightful!: We celebrated our champion monthly donors, volunteers, and the end of the school year at our ice cream float themed party!
Organization Updates: We said hello again to Co-Executive Director – Programs & Operations, Amanda Adams, after returning from her parental leave, and goodbye to Merri Schwartz, who returned to the Board of Directors.
Welcome Aboard: Tanisha Hasan – Communications & Events Manager, TJ Conwi, Cheryl Chang, and Tasha Sawyer – LunchLAB (LL) Chefs-in-Residences, Dana Liem – LL Program Coordinator, and Hope Rapp and Luca Schifano – LL Chef Educators.
🥬 Autumn 🥬
Chef Bruno Feldeisen at Growing Chefs’ 14th annual From Farms to Forks Gala
1) LunchLAB: We officially launched LunchLAB at John Norquay Elementary and the program continued at Lord Roberts Elementary and Total Education Secondary.
CBC released the LunchLAB documentary.
2) From Farms to Forks: Our 14th annual gala was hosted at a new venue, the beautiful Aritzia Head Office, where award-winning chefs crafted local harvest inspired delicacies.
Thanks to the B.C. food industry, local businesses, donors and more, our community raised $120,000 for food and edible education for B.C. kids and families!
3) Kids Cooking Around The World: Chef Jay cooked up a storm at Trout Lake Community Centre where kids learned kitchen skills and prepared different dishes from fried plantains to bannock.
4) Classroom Program: Our Bowen Island School classroom loved their field trip to the Cheakamus Centre.
5) Giving Tuesday: We celebrated the global day of generosity at our Taco Tuesday Party hosted by our friends at Tacofino.
#GreenforGrowingChefs: BC Place, Vancouver Convention Centre, Science World, City Hall, and Burrard Street Bridge lit up green for Growing Chefs.
6) Turnip The Heat: We ended the year with our winter fundraising campaign, thank you to our supporters for raising $18,900!
Welcome Aboard: Nicole Woo – Social Media Coordinator.