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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.