Blog 2 of 3

Sessions funded by Bendigo City of Gastronomy

Project Summary

Bendigo Foodshare’s Grow Cook Share Food Hub was successful in securing funding through Bendigo City of Gastronomy towards the following initiatives:

  • 4 x baking sessions with Bendigo TAFE Young Parents group.
  • Sponsorship towards meals for food relief workshops.
  • 15 Gastronomy branded aprons

A total of 7 Cooking for Change! sessions were delivered between July 2023 and March 2024, involving a total of 33 participants. There was a a couple of variations of the original proposal due to two partner organisations being unable to participate, and an opportunity to partner with a project led by Healthy Loddon Campaspe, which resulted in an increase in the number of sessions delivered.

Below is a summary of the second session of Cooking for Change! Keep an eye out for following blogs detailing the remaining sessions.

Strengthening Connections within the Bendigo TAFE Community
These Cooking for Change! sessions followed the traditional Cooking for Change! objectives of teaching students about Bendigo Foodshare, food safety and hygiene, healthy eating, developing their skills in the kitchen and meal preparation, the importance of food security and creating opportunities for positive action through community service.

However, they were also designed to support the Year 10 student group at Bendigo TAFE to build awareness and understanding about the cultural diversity within their TAFE community, and to create opportunities to connect with multicultural students in the English as a Second Language (EAL) group.

To facilitate this, the students cooked meals to serve and share with the TAFE community at lunchtime. The students and teachers promoted the lunch invitation throughout the TAFE, with special invitations made to encourage the EAL students along. The students decided they would offer
the meals for a gold coin donation to raise money for a table tennis table. In total the students raised $350 and were successful in raising enough money for their table tennis table, plus a donation to Bendigo Foodshare.

Session 1 – A Simple Pasta Dish
To build confidence, a basic level of kitchen and food hygiene knowledge and skills, and develop teamwork, the first Cooking for Change! session was focused on cooking a simple and tasty pasta dish with vegetables, cheese, tomato sauce and meat. 110 meals were made, including vegetarian options, with lunch enjoyed together at the completion of the session, and a further 30 meals served to the EAL students and staff. The remaining meals were kept and frozen for distribution as food relief within the TAFE community.

Session 2 – A Dish of Culturally Significance to the EAL Students
In the lead up to the second Cooking for Change! session, the students asked the EAL students what they would like served for lunch and a rice dish was suggested. Given the large number of Karen students within the EAL group, a Burmese inspired dish was chosen, which included fried rice, chicken curry, carrot salad, roti bread and additional condiments such as chili, nuts and coriander.

100 meals were made for lunch and shared with the EAL and other TAFE students, with the remaining meals shared with students to take home. Given the cultural appropriateness of this meal, many more Karen students came along for lunch compared to the previous session.

Connecting with the EAL students was beneficial to everyone involved and created a sense of one community. For the Year 10 students, it broadened their awareness and connection to the multicultural community within the TAFE and broader Bendigo community. It was an experience that
the EAL students really enjoyed, as it allowed them to practice their English skills and it made them feel valued to be served a meal of cultural significance to them. The EAL students showed their thanks and appreciation with thank you letters