Cook Up Your Future
Since 2008, Cook Up Your Future has aimed to equip young people under the care of youth protection services with the essential skills necessary to understand cooking and food, by equipping them with skills promoting the development of food autonomy.
One program, three components
Cook Up Your Future is divided into three distinct and complementary components that each, in their own specific way, help youth to develop food autonomy.
Culinary kit
This starter kit, consisting of a recipe book and a few basic kitchen utilities, is designed to provide caregivers with an opportunity for exchange and the tools they need to discuss food and carry out culinary activities with young people aged 17 to 25 from vulnerable backgrounds who are preparing to live independently.
Culinary workshops
The goal of this component is to initiate youth ages 15-25 to cooking through a series of four blocks of five workshops each, for a total of 20 workshops. Each workshop is two hours long and offered free of charge and is facilitated by a chef-instructor who is recruited and paid by La Tablée des Chefs.
Employability block
This fifth block aims to offer youth who participated in the previous four blocks of culinary workshops an opportunity to engage in a preparatory training for working in the restaurant industry.
“I find that La Tablée des Chefs has helped me develop my patience in the kitchen. Not only has it given me new techniques for learning to cook, but in general, it has also allowed me to discover a new hobby that I can share with friends and family. In terms of self-sufficiency, it has enabled me to discover less expensive ways of cooking and to make do with what I have in the kitchen! I'd like to thank the whole team who set up this project and also all the PQJs who accompanied us in this magnificent project.”
- Person who took part in the Cook Up Your Future culinary workshops
Culinary kits
Our culinary kit contains a cookbook from La Tablée des Chefs, a lunch bag, a magnetic grocery list, a set of measuring spoons and cups, a wooden spoon, a muffin pan, a spatula and spices to help youth add flavor to their meals.
The grocery store is a key component in independent life, and so the culinary kit also offers nine video capsules, hosted by Chef Oli, designed to help youth plan their visits to the supermarket. An accompanying guide, designed to help youth workers accompany the youth in using the kits, is also included in each culinary kit.
In 2024, 6,000 culinary kits were distributed across Canada!
For more information on the culinary kits and how to order them, contact us at: [email protected].
The Employability Block: helping young people successfully enter the workforce
Thanks to the program's culinary workshops, many young people are discovering an interest and a passion for cooking, and some of them even want to pursue this field on a professional level. That's why La Tablée des Chefs has set up an employability block alongside our culinary workshops, designed to offer young people aged 16 to 19, who have completed at least three blocks of workshops, the chance to take preparatory training for work in the restaurant industry.
The employability block is made up of five practical workshops, during which participants are paired with a chef mentor who is responsible for introducing them to the restaurant business and giving them practical work experience. The participant then has the opportunity to complete a paid internship in the restaurant industry.
Would you like to find out more about the employability block? Do you know a youth who would benefit from this experience? Write to us at [email protected].
Cook Up Your Future in schools
The Cook Up Your Future program is also suitable for an audience at risk of school dropout, which is why we wanted to expand the impact of the program through also targeting youth with atypical educational paths.
Formerly only offered to youth from the DYP, the culinary workshop component is now available to youth directly in schools, particularly in classes accompanying students with special education needs as well as vocational training programs. In 2022-2023, a total of 15 schools joined this program to help their students develop autonomy and skills in the kitchen.
To submit an application to the program for your school, contact us at [email protected]. Hurry, spots are limited!
