By Ivan Watson

The Culinary Arts production kitchen at Camosun Interurban has been buzzing lately as college and community volunteers cook together to provide fresh and healthy meals for The Mustard Seed and Food Share Network members with the aim of reducing food waste, notes Culinary Arts chair Steve Walker-Duncan.

B次元官网网址淔ood is the great connector, that one thing that unites us all,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎s a professional, both chef and as an educator, I feel strongly that we need to do everything we can to minimize the wastage of food at every possible opportunity.B次元官网网址�

Each year, at The goes into the waste streams. The Mustard Seed is working hard to change that and is currently partnering with HeroWork to build a commercial processing kitchen at their Viewfield Road facility in Esquimalt. When the new kitchen opens this summer, they expect to be able to process 40,000 pounds per year. In the meantime, Camosun has stepped in to help.

Every three weeks since February 2018, dozens of volunteers have gathered at Camosun to chop vegetables and prepare healthy meals. B次元官网网址淲e couldnB次元官网网址檛 do what weB次元官网网址檙e doing without this relationship,B次元官网网址� says Derek Pace, The Mustard Seed Street Church interim executive director. B次元官网网址淎t the last event, we created 360 litres of soup, stock or sauce, all done by chefs that we then put in one litre containers and sent out into the community.B次元官网网址�

Pace believes itB次元官网网址檚 a win-win for everyone involved. B次元官网网址淢any people are benefitting from this B次元官网网址� seniors, students, people on low incomes, many people who may not have the ability to cook,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭hey can heat up something healthy that is ready made. WeB次元官网网址檙e also giving some to other Food Share Network member agencies.B次元官网网址�

The Food Rescue Project was established through a collaboration of Victoria Foundation, Rotary, The Mustard Seed Street Church, Thrifty Foods and the Food Share Network with the support of local grocers. As plans took shape to add The Commercial Processing Kitchen, Walker-Duncan and Ryan Gibson from Sysco lent experience and helped design the optimal production setup.

At the Food Security Distribution Centre, The Mustard Seed team receives 2,000 kg of fresh food per day. B次元官网网址淲e bring it in, we clean it, we sort it and send it out to over 60 agencies. We still generate waste, about eight per cent still ends up going to waste or compost,B次元官网网址� notes Pace. B次元官网网址淢y belief is that when we get this kitchen up and running we will be able to cut the waste in half and continue to build toward a zero waste warehouse.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淥ur work with The Mustard Seed has been growing from strength to strength,B次元官网网址� says Walker-Duncan. B次元官网网址淎fter the new kitchen is up and running, weB次元官网网址檒l continue to work with them in terms of education and other opportunities to bring them back to Camosun. ItB次元官网网址檚 an effective way of giving back to community and itB次元官网网址檚 something that makes you feel good.B次元官网网址�

Mustard SeedB次元官网网址檚 new kitchen is expected to open in July 2018. The final Camosun production event is scheduled from 3 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 11. Volunteers from the college community are welcome to drop by and lend a hand.