A new community cooking course at the Mamaweyatitan Centre in Regina is all about teaching its students healthy cooking options.

The primary target is young parents, teaching them how to add healthy elements to their meals to then share with their children.

“We wanted the young people to learn how to prepare nutritious meals for their families,” said Greg Stevenson, the director of Chili for Children. The new course is part of the Chili for Children umbrella – a program that provides meals for school children in need. This addition teaches people just how those meals – and others – come together.

Stevenson’s mother created Chili for Children about 45 years ago. Now, he’s following in her food steps, in hopes of improving the health of people in the community.

“We just thought ‘there’s got to be families and homes that need some training,’” said Stevenson.

The class is held twice per week, and runs for nine weeks at a time. Currently in its first nine-week block, the second will start after Christmas.

Taking it home

At each class, the students learn a new meal. They prepare it with instructions from a chef, cook it and then bring it home for themselves and their families to enjoy. So far, the class has cooked different chicken dishes, fish, quiche, healthy pizza and more.

Aurora Cote is one of about a dozen students who is taking part in the first block of the program. She said she’s learned a lot from taking part in the class, considering she went in with very limited knowledge.

 

“It’s cool to know what we make here is what you can make in a restaurant,” Cote said. “And it teaches you about nutritional facts, and what goes into your food.”

And it’s not just Cote who benefits from the class.

“It’s something new for my brothers, and my dad, and me to try. Because we don’t really get healthy foods,” she said.

The idea is that students will take what they learn in the class, and apply it to their day-to-day cooking, too.

While so far the class has been a success, Stevenson said now he’s focusing on next year, and finding funding so the program can continue,

“We know that there’s going to be some families and children out there who will become more healthy because of this class,” he said.