The conversation started like this, “hey, kiddo would you like to go and help make a dinner for some people in need?” My 10 year jumped without hesitation. “Cool! I love to cook and help people!” Exactly the answer I wanted to hear. I want to help people… not homeless, not less fortunate…just people.
A friend of mine, who knew my kid had a passion for cooking, had thought I’d be interested in getting involved with a small but mighty organization of volunteers called Kids Cook To Care. Co-founder Jill Lewis, a New York native, had the idea after helping out at various soup kitchens with her kids. It was an eye opening experience for her and her kids to give their time and volunteer hours and to also to do it with the dignity of these folks in mind. After moving to Toronto, Jill started the gears in motion with her friend Julie Levin, an American Expat who had lived and worked as a caterer in Tokyo while raising three kids. The concept is shockingly simple yet so deeply profound: to get kids involved in providing food in communities that could benefit from the comforts of tasty and nutritious meals. She took it one step further and enlisted the help of some of the city’s most well-known chefs like David Lee, Trish Magwood, Donna Dooher (Mildred’s Temple Kitchen), and Rocco Agostino (Pizza Libretto) to lead the helm at the community kitchens to orchestrate dinner services. Restaurant owners from Terroni’s even brought in their own fresh ingredients to make pasta from scratch and Whole Foods also contribute in a variety of ways to the cause. So far, Kids Cook To Care have had the help of 20 chefs and have served well over 1250 meals.
So, we signed up to help out Chef Rory White. This fun-loving chef is known for his stint on Top Chef Canada and is currently at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Rory also worked in many well-known restaurants in the city including George and Auberger du Pommier. Creating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner was on tonight’s menu complete with butternut squash soup, roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and fruit cobbler.
When we arrived at the shelter, men were already lining up at the door waiting to get in for what may have been their only meal of the day. We were quickly whisked in and got right to work in the kitchen. Chef Rory was overseeing all the action and gave kids tips while quickly (and I mean quickly) getting things prepared. There were brussel sprouts to be chopped, gravy to be made, potatoes to be mashed. Every so often we had glanced at the clock. Dinner was to be served at 5:30 pm. as we were reminded from the shelter’s house chef. He was working in tandem with Chef Rory to keep on track. We were hustling at 4:30 to get everything ready. Kids will be kids, and they were having some fun in the kitchen with Chef Rory, of course, but were unaware that the steady stream of hungry men were waiting on the other side of the kitchen wall.
When we were ready to serve, kids were given their positions in the assembly line. Each one responsible for their portion of the meal service. Following plating direction from Chef Rory we were ready to rock and roll — until someone mentioned that there were a few vegans and a few who had gluten sensitivities. “Hey Chef Rory,” one of the girls piped up. “so, vegan also means we don’t put gravy on right?” Chef Rory smiled and we all breathed a sigh of relief that this young girl caught that.
As soon as the kitchen window drew open and the kids got their first real look at who they were going to serve it was a real split second of reality. Chef Rory snapped everyone into motion in a matter of seconds and the kids got serious. It was a proud moment for us moms, who were chaperoning in the background, to see how the kids went from having fun behind the scenes to understanding that they had a job to do. Nothing moved me more than that particular moment.
After we had finished dinner service, the kids and parents sat down with Chef Rory and had an impromptu chat about the night’s event. What surprised us was that it wasn’t just good enough to provide a home cooked meal — but to also remember that the people here also had dietary restrictions just like anybody else. What also surprised us was the many different faces at the shelter. It’s not an image as seen in the movies or on tv necessarily. In the crowd we saw young and old and all different nationalities. The quiet elderly asian man. The happy guy. The fit guy in a track suit. They are all people. But what was overwhelmingly heartwarming was the graciousness from the diners. Thanking the kids for their hard work and returning to the kitchen counter to say that was the best meal they’ve had in a long while. The other surprise to many of the kids is that they don’t often get real mashed potatoes. Sometimes, they go with what they can get — like boxed powdered potatoes.
What was going through Chef Rory’s mind as the evening unfolded? He mentioned that he had approached Kids Cook To Care at the recommendation of another chef, who told him it was an incredible experience. Chef Rory thought it would be easy enough to create a traditional turkey dinner, cranberry sauce and all, but what challenged him was the fact that he had 10 little sous chefs to work around. He’s thinking about someday teaching and this gave him a taste of what to expect. He totally rocked it!
Kids Cook To Care‘s mission is to offer innovative hands on food creation opportunities empowering children to make a difference in their world. Giving back to our community is something that our family has always believed in. Families interested in participating can sign up online. “There’s definitely lots of demand for families to get involved so the organization is always looking for great chefs to join in the experience.
The organization also will incorporate a holiday cookie initiative to encourage kids and families everywhere to bake for their own communities. I heard that special cookie recipes will be coming for that so, stay tuned! I’ll report on that as soon as I get more information!
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