Awatapu College students prepare dinner for Wholegrain Organics customers.
Awatapu College students prepare dinner for Wholegrain Organics customers.
Remember how as a child you would only get dessert if you ate your vegetables?
Well, now you can help children and teenagers learn how to cook vegetables. In return you might even get dessert.
Wholegrain Organics is running a PledgeMe campaign to raise money for its Hands-On Food programme.
The social enterprise has a youth training kitchen in its vegan cafe and shop in The Square. Upstairs there is a bakery, kitchen and fully fitted out teaching space.
Team member Robert Hall says a lot of effort went into designing the upstairs space, which opened in 2019. They wanted to give the students a commercial setting with good quality equipment to learn with.
The downstairs set-up allows plenty of interaction between the kitchen and dining room and student-prepared dinners provide the chance to learn about menu planning, food preparation and service.
When students can see the people they are cooking for come in the door their concentration levels increase, Hall says.
Wholegrain Organics runs food technology classes for Manukura School, Cornerstone Christian School and Queen Elizabeth College. It hosts Gateway students, and for other schools runs workshops, activity days and short courses.
There are 350 students booked in this year from Years 7 to 13, many coming weekly.
The Hands-On Food programme allows students to be producers not consumers.
Hall says being in a real cafe and shop enriches the students' curriculum and provides lively classes. When they are developing new products they can get instant feedback from customers about serving size, the seasoning level and if it's too sweet or sour.
Students also learn skills such as cash handling, putting orders through to the kitchen, and answering customers' questions.
Wholegrain Organics is also developing courses for its three vegetable farms on planting, harvesting and vegetable production.
People can sponsor a student or buy rewards such as bread, vegetables, lunch and a tour.
As a social enterprise that runs community activities for social good all revenue goes back into supporting young people, Hall says.
Hands-On Food is also a wholesale food production, as young people team up to hand make and distribute quality products throughout New Zealand.
To make a pledge click here. The campaign runs until May 31.
