Growing Chefs Ontario is a local organization that helps students learn more about nutrition. It was founded more than 17 years ago by Executive Director Andrew Fleet. “[Food] is such a fantastic vehicle to inspire young people to get excited about learning,” said Fleet.
Fleet began volunteering with Growing Chefs while living in Vancouver. The opportunity allowed him to connect his culinary skills to his community. When he moved back to London with his family, he noticed a vacuum and quickly started up Growing Chefs Ontario.
His organization has since expanded and now employs 22 full-time members. Fleet says the Monday-to-Friday schedule gives staff a more ‘family-friendly’ schedule. Many of them have prior experience in the culinary world.
“We surprise a lot of people with what we’re able to accomplish [considering] what we started with,” said Fleet. With this knowledge, they’ve been able to bring lessons to a variety of locations, including gymnasiums and churches. It has also helped them create a source of revenue to continue operating by offering services such as catering and meal kits.
Many are disconnected from the food around us, said Fleet. He discussed how we often don’t consider the origins of our food, the effort required to obtain it, and how it ultimately connects to our communities. All these often-unanswered questions are exactly what Growing Chefs address with their lessons. Fleet says they try to stay clear of the usual talks about healthy eating. Lessons focus on other important aspects to answer why students should eat healthily and know about food systems.
The organization’s work has been recognized by Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Fleet and his team were recently awarded the Minister’s Choice for Excellence in Agriculture. They also won another award for Excellence in Agricultural Education. Fleet says a former board member helped get them nominated, along with others in the community. “When we got an understanding of the scope of time and effort […] that went into the application, it became even more meaningful,” he said.
A YouTube channel and website have helped the team reach even more people. Recipes and cooking lessons can be found on either platform. Fleet concluded:
“On the best days, it’s the most fulfilling journey I could imagine.”
