Chris Hadfield P.S. visits the GCUOF with Garden2Table

Garden2Table played host to three Grade 4 classes from Chris Hadfield Public School in Milton in June. The students enjoyed time at the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming (GCUOF), planting watermelon seeds, sunflower seeds, and building a straw path from one end of the garden to the other.

They also harvested heads of lettuce from the greenhouse to taste with the homemade salad dressing they all made with Chef Shea Robinson of Wildcraft Restaurant in Waterloo, ON. Chef Robinson also led the kids in making the world famous Garden2Table granola which they were able to take home with them to share with their families.

One of the classes - Mr. Ford’s 4.2 - had the rare opportunity to spend a morning with beekeeper Paul Kelly at the University of Guelph Apiary (bee yard). Partnering with Chris Hadfield P.S. marks the first time that Garden2Table has worked with a school outside of Guelph - something we hope to do more of in the future.

Stay tuned for more visits this fall!

A Royal Success!

This time last week us Garden2Table members were unwinding from our Circle of Food display at College Royal. It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but a huge success. A big thank-you to all the chefs who came and demonstrated simple and healthy meal ideas, Chef Ezra Title, Chef Shea Robinson, Chef Matthew Foote, and a special thanks for Chef Bruce McAdams who stepped in at the last minute.

 Each chef profiled a different dish to cater to every taste; families had the opportunity to make a coconut yogurt parfait, a veggie wrap, a quinoa salad, and an apple blossom dessert over the course of the weekend. In addition to the delicious demonstrations, families has the opportunity to experience The Circle of Food. Staring by learning about seeds and planting, visitors worked their way around the circle to our compost display. Along the way they had a chance to plant lettuce seeds in a hand crafted newspaper pot, play a nutritional game by deciding which foods belonged in which food group, learn about local and imported food, taste the difference between organic and non-organic carrots, and take home some seeds and herbs from the GCUOF.

The weekend would not have been possible without the numerous volunteers who came out and manned booths, assisted in the kitchen, and helped our street team attract visitors around campus. Congratulations to the Applied Human Nutrition display that won best in fair! Lastly, thank you to all who came out and experienced The Circle of Food, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

The Circle of Food at College Royal

Come one, come all to our exhibition at College Royal. Experience "The Circle of Food" from seed to table in P.J's restaurant in the Atrium on March 17th and 18th. Cook dishes demonstrated by local and celebrity chefs like Ezra Title of The Food Network's The Healthy Gourmet, Chef Chris Jess from The Food School in Fergus, Executive Chef at Wildcraft Shea Robinson, and Executive Chef at Borealis Grille & Bar Matthew Foote. This once in a lifetime opportunity awaits!
And did we mention, IT'S FREE!

A Moving Case for 'Real Food'

I was recently linked a TedTalk video featuring a talk by Robyn O'Brien. It was an intriguing talk centered around Robyn's personal history with food, and how she became such an evangelist for 'Real Food'. Have a look:

Obviously a very informative and inspiring talk, Robyn opened my eyes to a different aspect in the food industry, and why consuming 'Real Food' really should be an imperative; especially for children. This new perspective was on the affect of mass-produced foods on our health in terms of allergies/intolerance's. How many of us, in the restaurant industry, can attest to the fact that the number of guests coming in with allergies/intolerance has seemingly increased on a steady incline? I would bet that many restaurateurs would agree with this notion. It's certainly something I've noticed within my limited experience.

It's made clear by Robyn that the addition of proteins and enzymes to our food supply makes perfect business sense in terms of making the business model more efficient/profitable for large food production companies; however, just because it makes more business sense, does it make health sense? Could these additions into our food supply be the reason for the increasing amount of food consumption ailments being realized within the North American population? Robyn O'Brien thinks so, and she makes an excellent, well informed case for this belief.

Stay tuned for an incoming post regarding G2T's involvement with the University of Guelph's College Royal weekend-wide event!

Garden2Table ~ SP

G2T & UGSRP Team Up for Food Bank Dinner

This past Sunday night, Garden2Table and UGSRP (University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project) played host to the OAFB (Ontario Association of Food Banks) for their AGM dinner. The Food Banks of Ontario are undergoing some strategic planning which includes introducing more fresh food and providing marginalized families with real food choices. With this in mind, G2T and UGSRP members Sam Prentice, Lisa Hanlon, Hannah Douglas and Bruce McAdams prepared dishes from GCUOF produce, repurposed and non-perishable foods. The dinner, comprised of a turnip and leek soup, chick pea and roasted beet salad, Rowe Farm's pork tenderloin and an apple flan, was a hit. The OAFB members, many of them Guelph grads, were further impressed with the Garden2Table and UGSRP projects. Thanks to all who made the dinner a success, and thank you OAFB for the important work you do! 

Garden2Table and the "Real Food Movement"

On November 10th, Garden2Table teamed up with Hellmann's Canada to host an extraordinary afternoon dedicated solely to FOOD! G2T recently received a grant of $10,000 from Hellmann's, coinciding with their "Real Food Movement" on teaching children and their families about eating healthy, homemade foods. 
Having already visited the Guelph Center for Urban Organic Farming this fall, St.Ignatius of Loyola's class of eager grade sevens was finally able to take what they had learned from the garden... to the table! With help from celebrity Chef Chuck Huges (winner of Iron Chef Canada, host of The Food Network's t.v. show, "Chuck's Day Off", and owner of several Montreal restaurants), the students were able to enjoy preparing and sharing a four course meal at the MacDonald Institute's kitchen facility at the University of Guelph. 
Beginning with a Hellmann's recipe for salad dressing, each student was able to measure the ingredients and assemble their very own "take-home" mason jar to share with their friends and family. Next, everyone broke into groups to prepare more items such as the Hellmann's Grilled Cheese and spicy dipping sauce, a fresh watermelon and beat salad with ingredients straight from the garden, and delicious nut-free granola bars for dessert. After a lot of hustle and bustle, laughter and occasional sneaking of chocolate chips, everyone sat down communally to enjoy the wonderful meal they had worked so hard to prepare. The afternoon was a fantastic way for the students to cook and taste real food. Some of the students even shared that they had never cooked anything on their own before, but are now motivated and excited to try!
   

Thank you to all of the volunteers that came to help cook that day including parents, teachers and students. And thank you to Hellmann's for helping make the day such a success!  

The "Buzz" Around G2T

There's something new going on with Garden2Table which is creating a lot of "buzz"!

The program has recently begun working with the campus Honey Bee Research Centre and staff apiarist Paul Kelly. These facilities are typically used for bee breeding, research, production, and education. Student groups from both St. Ignatius and Jean Little were recently invited to visit the research centre to learn more about bees and how that sweet honey gets into their sandwiches each day!

The students were fascinated by an engaging lecture, from Mr. Kelly, detailing the inner workings of honey bee hives and debunking many common misconceptions about our bee producing little friends. They were then able to witness the hives first hand when Mr. Kelly took apart an actual nest for the students to see. Finally, students were shown how the honey was produced within the modest facilities available and even given a taste of some of their delicious honey!

Garden2Table is very excited to have this new addition to the program. It was obvious during these visits that the students learned a lot and had a great time. Showing the children where items such as honey are produced has a lot of educational value and will surely attribute to a healthier future!