Have you ever been to a cooking class that includes a dash of tolerance, a cup of respect or a pinch of tradition?
Here’s your chance with the Airdrie Cultural Cooking Classes at the commercial kitchen in the Airdrie Food Bank. On the fourth Wednesday of every month from February until June, Welcoming Airdrie and Rocky View Immigrant Services is putting on a Cultural Cooking Class with the Healthier Together Committee.
“It’s not necessarily about learning to cook,” says Fleeha Ahmad, program coordinator/settlement counsellor with Rocky View Immigrant Services and co-chair of the Welcoming Airdrie Committee.
“It is about doing something positive, it’s about social connection. It’s laughing and talking and learning about a new culture.”
The cooking classes are a pilot project through Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Ahmad hopes to attain future funding to allow the classes to extend into the summer and beyond.
“We have had so much positive feedback, and the classes are filling up so quickly,” she says.
“People are saying they can’t remember when they have had so much fun! Almost every participant has said they want to come back for another class. People appreciate tasting something new and learning how to cook food different from what they are used to. It changes your perspective in a positive way.”
The February class made Ukrainian traditional baked bread in the shape of birds and future classes will cook recipes from Ghana, the Philippines, Mexico and Egypt.
The facilitators (affectionately known as “chef” during the class) are Airdrie residents who volunteer to share the food from their homelands with participants.
“We have so many people who are so passionate about their background and who want to share a part of themselves and their family traditions with others,” says Ahmad.
Welcoming Airdrie also partnered with AHS in January to host a free, family-friendly celebration of the city’s growing cultural diversity called Taste of Nations at the Town and Country Centre.
“Events like this and the classes open the window to all of the cultures we have here in Airdrie,” says Ahmad.
“In the past five years, the community has become more and more diverse. The more we learn about each other; the more respect and tolerance we have for each other. There are so many stereotypes and biases out there. Let’s show people the beauty of the cultural landscape in our city!”
Learn more and sign up for classes at healthiertogether-airdrie.ca.
