If you or your organization has created or come across a great resource or tool that has helped you start and maintain a cooking and skill builidng program, please share it with us!
Basic Steps - How to Start a Community Kitchen. Fresh Choice Kitchens.
Here is a suggested outline of basic steps, some kitchens have used successfully to create a new kitchen. Please keep in mind your target group as you read through this and make notes (mental or otherwise) and how these steps can be revised or altered to better reach and accommodate your target group
Community Kitchen Checklist. Vancouver Community Kitchen Project (now known as Fresh Choice Kitchens)
A guideline of topics to discuss at the first planning meeting for your community kitchen.
Sponsor Letter Example.Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
An example of a letter requesting support & sponsorship for your community kitchen.
Kitchen Layout Ideas. Vancouver Community Kitchen Project.
In 2005/06, we asked 6 community kitchen coordinators what worked and didn’t work in their kitchen. See their answers and some photos of their kitchens to help you design your kitchen layout!
Basic Equipment List
Instead of completely equipping your kitchen all at once, purchase just the basics. Here is a list of the basic equipment and quantitites needed to start up a community kitchen. Then you can add equipment and dishes that are required to cook and eat the meals being created as you go along. This will give you time to collect equipment and tool donations, take advantage of retail/wholesale sales and also to find an avenue to purchase some of the more expensive equipment at cost or at a good discount.
Basic Kitchen Equipment Needed. Vancouver Community Kitchen Project.
If you want to have an idea of what is usually needed in a busy kitchen, have a look at this list of equipment and cleaning-related items. It is meant to be a guideline. Please keep in mind cross-cultural cooking that requires different tools and equipment.
Equipment Pricing.Part 1 of 2 – Zellers; Bay and Dunlevy. and Part 2 of 2 – Wonderbucks; London Drugs; Russell Food Equipment; Magnet Hardware. Alison Richter; Keri Smith. 2004.
Results of a 2004 research project to obtain an overall dollar amount needed to outfit a kitchen. Any blank spaces indicate that we couldn‘t find the item or the store doesn‘t carry it. The estimated total for someone to go out and outfit their kitchen all at once would be around $3000 (price depends on quality). Pricing is based on decent quality items but some high–end wares were included. Cost can vary and you do not have to purchase it all at one time. The $3000 price was obtained by averaging the different prices of each itme from the different stores and adding them together.
And, once you have your kitchen equipment, you will want to make sure none of it “grows legs” and goes missing. Take a look at our blog for tips on “How to Prevent Missing Kitchen Equipment”
Community Kitchen Coordinator Example Job Postings Here are three community kitchen coordinator job postings that are no longer active. We recommend you review all three to understand the various qualifications, responsibilities and training deemed necessary to fill such a position.
Raven Song Community Health Centre’s Community Kitchen Tools.Compiled by Diana MacKenzie¸Vancouver Coastal Health.
Collection of resources used by Raven Song Community Health Centre‘s Community Kitchen. Includes a job description, log book sheet, equipment inventory list, room reservation sheet and a clean up poster.
Equipment Donation Poster An example of a poster used to request equipment donations for your community kitchen.
Community Kitchen Advertising Posters Example 1¸ Example 2 ¸ Example 3¸Example 4
Poster/flyer should briefly describe a community kitchen and encourage interested participants. Neighbourhood houses, community centres and local gathering places are good spots to display your poster. Some people even advertise in local community papers or newsletters to attract members. Don‘t forget to include your name and contact number! Word of mouth is also an effective form of advertising. Tell all your friends and acquaintances about your interest in forming a community kitchen. Before long you’ll have enough cooks to get started! Here are examples of advertisements for a community kitchens:
Community Kitchen Checklist
The first meeting allows the group to make decisions about their planned time together in a community kitchen. It is suggested to use the checklist like this one as a general agenda to guide your group through this important meeting. The checklist is a good tool to print out and give to each participant so you can go through it as a group.
Divide Up Tasks Worksheet
A handy worksheet to help divide up chores and share responsibility in your community kitchen.
Attendance Sheet
An attendance sheet that you can use for participant sign-in.
Log Book
An example of a log book sheet for community kitchen members to sign in and out.
Shopping List and Recipe Worksheet
When you are ready to organise the shopping list and choose the shoppers for your community kitchen session. You could create one master list of ingredients needed for all of the recipes. Divide the list up so each person in the group buys a portion or have a few individuals take turns buying all the ingredients. The grocery list portions may be divided by food group to make it easier. You might find this example useful.
Cooking Calculator
A handy website for cooking when you have recipes that you need to convert metric-to-imperial or imperial-to-metric
Cowichan Community Kitchen Manual. Duncan, BC: Cowichan Community Kitchens.
A manual for community kitchens, including topic on getting started, code of conduct, equipment, administration, funding, examples of forms and advertising as well as nutrition, food safety and recipes
Raven Song Community Health Centre’s Community Kitchen Tools.Compiled by Diana MacKenzie¸Vancouver Coastal Health.
Collection of resources used by Raven Song Community Health Centre‘s Community Kitchen. Includes a job description, log book sheet, equipment inventory list, room reservation sheet and a clean up poster.
Winnipeg Cooks Together–Handbook for Community Kitchen. Winnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Offers advice and instruction on how to organize and operate a community kitchen in your neighbourhood. The handbook also includes information on nutrition, shopping tips, food safety, favourite recipes contributed by various community kitchens
Sharing Our Future.Compiled by Larisa Saunders. Burnaby Association for the Mentally Handicapped.
From the Burnaby Association for the Mentally Handicapped‚ a detailed project to look at if you are planning to start a community kitchen program within your agency. Provides an introductory letter; posters (for donations; shopping seminar); an agenda for the first information session and kitchen rules.
Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best. 2nd ed. Diane Collis; Cristina Tognon; Karen Barnaby; Andrea Robertson; Elizabeth Corrigan (Eds).. Vancouver, BC: Community Kitchens Publishing. 2005
Vancouver Community Kitchen participants working with Karen Barnaby, executive chef of The Fish House in Stanley Park, share their favorite recipes and present their first fundraising project. Provides over 130 diverse, easy-to-prepare recipes and practical tips. Recipes include ingredient proportions for family size and large group meals.
ManyHandsOrder.pdf
Winnipeg Cooks Together– Handbook for Community KitchenWinnipeg, MB: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Offers advice and instruction on how to organize and operate a community kitchen in your neighbourhood. The handbook also includes information on nutrition, shopping tips, food safety, favourite recipes contributed by various community kitchens
Cooking Fun for Families - Sample Post Session Questionnaire
This form was used by the New Westminister School District #40 for their Cooking Fun for Famlies Program. While this document is specifically for their Cooking Fun For Families program, they are quite adaptable for community kitchens operating outside a school system.
Community Kitchen Client Satifsfaction Survey
An example of a one page survey form that Community Connections in Revelstoke developed to help obtain feedback about their community kitchen.
Maywood Community Kitchen Feedback
An example of a one page evaluation form that is used by Maywood Community Kitchens in South Burnaby Neighbourhood House.
Participant Evaluation & Feedback
Potluck Catering conducts an annual focus group with their Community Kitchen facilitators and participants. Here are their focus group questions and yo’’ll notice that their focus is in the social connections impact. In their experience, these are some of the most inspiring and interesting insights.
Low Cost Cooking for Health - Participant Questionnaire
Nanaimo Community Kitchens uses 2 forms to evaluate their cooking programs. This one is for Participants and the other one is for Agencies (see below). Nanaimo Community Kitchens tries to have informal discussions at each cooking session. They ofte record the focus group discussions with a tape recorder.
Britannia Parent / Caregiver Feedback Form
This 10 page evaluation form has been used by Britannia Community Services Centre Society for their CAPC Program (Community Action Program for Children). This evaluation form asks for feedback on all their CAPC related activities, which includes a community kitchen.
Food Safe. Vancouver Community Kitchen Project.
Provides information on how to find out about Food Safe Courses and also includes excerpts from the book "Everybody’s Food Safe Kitchen" by Sheri Nielson.
Basic Food Safety Guidelines. Vancouver Community Kitchen Project.
Basic food safety guidelines that should be read and discussed before your community kitchen begins to cook together or given to new community kitchen members.
