AC Culinary Team Prepares Meals for Shepherds of Good Hope

Posted on Thursday, January 20th, 2022

For two weeks beginning Jan. 18, learners and faculty from the culinary programs will be preparing lunches for the Shepherds of Good Hope soup kitchen. With the closure of in-person dining due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, learners from the Contemporary Production Methods course will have the opportunity to prepare meals on a mass scale while supporting members of the Ottawa community.

“There are four [Contemporary Production Methods] classes and each one will produce 150 meals of one item,” says Chef Cory Haskins, Chair, Culinary Arts at the School of Hospitality and Tourism. “These students generally don’t get to cook for 150 portions per class, so this is an opportunity for them to really experience quantity cooking and the ability to cook for people in need.”

The Shepherds of Good Hope is one of the largest not-for-profit organizations in Ottawa for people experiencing homelessness. The need for their soup kitchen’s daily community lunch has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. When staffing and volunteer shortages hit critical lows due to the Omicron variant, Shepherds called its Champions Table network into action. Dave Donaldson, former dean of the School of Business at Algonquin College, connected with Julie Beauchamp, current dean of the School of Business and School of Hospitality, who then shared the appeal with the culinary team.


Each class day for the next two weeks, Donaldson will pick-up donated raw ingredients from the Shepherds of Good Hope and deliver them to Algonquin College, where learners and teachers will prepare 150 meals per class. Once cooled, Donaldson will then deliver the meals back to the soup kitchen.

Significant operational planning contributes to the successful delivery of the community lunches. From the receiving and distribution team organizing and loading supplies, to the culinary team allocating ingredients, to the learners cooking the meals, it’s a combined effort from the people in the School of Hospitality and Tourism.

With most ingredients supplied by Shepherds of Good Hope donations, the Algonquin College chefs have to be adaptable when planning meals that are filling, nutritious, and delicious.

“Because the food comes through donations we have to be flexible in what we’re going to prepare. We can adapt in the moment using skills and techniques to see what tastes great,” says Chef Patrick Kostiw. “It’s excellent when we can share our knowledge and kitchen in any way to help out the community.”

Some of the meals being prepared include: pasta w/caramelized onions in tomato sauce with whipped omelette, cabbage roll casserole, shepherd’s pie, and penne with Indian-spiced pork loin, roasted peppers and potatoes. Vegetarian options will also be available.

Learn more about the Shepherds of Good Hope by visiting www.sghottawa.com.


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