Healthy food classes and training in Medellin

Hola and happy new year! As 2023 ended, so did our long-time participant/colleague Daniel's contract in the restaurant he had been working in. That job wasn't providing a level of satisfaction and mental health that Daniel requires, so he made the brave decision to forfeit the security of a job contract, and do what he really wanted to do for years: join Vía Cocina on a more permanent, regular basis.

So with Daniel's commitment here, we have started up our once a week lunch service at local prices, so that community members can enjoy flavours from different countries without spending more than they would on a traditional lunch. So far we've done Italian, Colombian from the Caribbean coast, and Peruvian cuisine, and it has been a great success! The proceeds go directly to Daniel, and I am subsidizing the purchase of ingredients with funds from other activities and donations. And so Daniel has a level of financial security here, I have guaranteed him payment for 30 lunches each week, so that he has the equivalent of a Colombian minimum wage guaranteed here working a day or two per week, and doesn't need to look for a job elsewhere that will pay the same for much more work and less time for his family and other activities.

To complement the funds from lunches, I also have Daniel helping to prep our spaces for more activities, painting and organizing things we've had outstanding for months or even years. And we are working on more activities to generate income for him and confidence in his ability to develop his entrepreneurial skills with us. More on that in a future update!

Thanks and talk to you soon!

Brian

Hola! I'm very happy to report that we've finally been able to re-initiate some of our training activities! It feels great to have so many new and familiar faces coming through the training centre as we've started up our community cooking classes and monthly dinners with cooking classes in September. The plan is to keep them going with at least one of each per month for the time being as we look to add our other activities to the mix soon too!

For our first community cooking class, we repeated our classic pad thai and rice noodles experience, with 2 fully booked classes full of enthusiasts who were on our waiting list for some time. Our idea is to alternate each month between a newly developed class and one that we have run in the past, so that both new and existing participants can continue to learn everything we can offer.

And for our monthly dinner and cooking class, we shared Mexican cuisine with a focus on recipes from Oaxaca. One of my friends and chef mentors visited recently from Mexico City, and was kind enough to bring a number of ingredients that I was able to put to good use. And my friend Nayibe in Oaxaca provided her guidance as I was testing out the recipes in the days and weeks leading up to the big event.

We were also happy to have our longtime volunteer friends Tatiana and Diego back to help with the class prep and service. Tatiana had contacted me to ask if she could come back and continue to volunteer after spending some time abroad for her studies (which she got a grant for), getting an unsatisfying job in Colombia, and needing to take a break and go back to her passions to enjoy life again. This helped me realize how our project has another qualitative result with a number of participants and volunteers who continue to return year after year: mental health is an issue we don't tackle directly, however it is one that affects many people we share with. Working in our kitchen and gardens, sharing and learning together over delicious meals, and interacting with people from different walks of life continues to provide a space for people to clear their heads, enjoy their time with us, and express their gratitude for having a place where they can feel better about their situations and themselves. This realization motivates me to continue reaching out to our extended family, and to expand it as our activities grow.

Speaking of growing, the rooftop gardens are doing well, and though the heat wave didn't last long (I did manage to do some water-related repairs before the rain started up again), a lot of plants had the chance to sprout and are enjoying a combination of sun and rain while providing us with organic ingredients for our classes. You can see our first batch of bok choy picked by Jordan in the photos.

I hope you are well and enjoy our updates. I'll have another one soon enough with more positive news!

All the best,
Brian