I got a crash course in what the guy is doing these days when I looked in on a story about his latest project. He started up his Ministry of Food foundation years ago. But now, Jamie Oliver’s begun taking his food awareness ‘show’ on the road…
A typical 10 Cooking Skills For Life ‘Class’. Kids aged
11 to 14 get not only cooking lessons but life skills…
The idea behind Olivers’s foundation is to, “to reach even more people with the transformative power of cooking. By 2030 we want to reach 1 MILLION PEOPLE through our campaigns – that’s 3 MILLION MEALS REVOLUTIONISED.”
Can’t argue with that. And with survey after survey confirming that ore and folks are reverting from dining out to cooking at home, his timing couldn’t be better.
All ages admitted
All it takes is one glance at Oliver’s foundation website front page to realize that – though he talks a lot about educating young people about food – he’s targeting all generations and ages in his quest to hand-hold folks into a new appreciation for the food they eat, and to quell any concerns they may have about trying new things and learning new skills…
Because every meal matters!
That’s the foundation’s motto. And Oliver is working hard to live up to it.
The organization offers three streams of information and education programs, each targeting differ-ent age groups and life venues: Home, School and Workplace.
And the latest roadshow he’s bringing kids aged 11 to 14 his 10 Cooking Skills For Life ‘foundation stone’ program.
For young adults
“Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to cook; without it we become dependent on others to feed us, or on convenience foods to fuel us – neither of which is sustainable,” Oliver insists. “It’s crucial that young people have a good understanding of where food comes from, how to cook it and how it affects our bodies for good health in later life.”
What are the 10 skills?
“10 Skills really tries to give you a nice mixture of recipes that can suit many sorts of scenarios and many budgets and keep things nutritious and show you quick, easy ways to get more veggies in and stretch food,” Oliver told Food & Wine.
As its name implies, the program exposes students to ‘core’, fundamental cooking skills that they can use to create a wide array of dishes. The program uses practical recipes that feature basic cooking skills such as making soups, pasta sauce recipes that can incorporate different proteins or vege-tables, creamy and vinaigrette salad dressings, and even preparing a Sunday roast.
The emphasis is on guided learning, ensuring that students have every chance for success. And that they take away not only essential cooking skills but a positive attitude toward food and their own ability to ‘handle’ it.
The program also teaches about managing a food budget… Which is more important in our current chaotic economy than ever before.
A sense of empowerment
Ideally the 10 Skills will help folks feel ‘more empowered’, Oliver says. “Understanding core cooking techniques, ‘makes people feel free, it makes them feel empowered. It makes them feel that a recipe is not like a law, it’s not a club you’re in or you’re out. It’s just trying to navigate you to something delicious’.”
My take
‘Power’ may be the real message behind the 10 Skills program – power over one’s own finances and health.
“If you teach kids about food, where it comes from and how it affects their body, they’re not just healthier, but they’re happier and they’re more productive. They’re off work less because of sick-ness…” Oliver points out.
It’s true… When you look at food and cooking the way Jamie Oliver does, it becomes clear that cook-ing and eating together really are the key to family and community unity. And the key to bringing everyone together over food is engendering an awareness among all ages in all settings, just how fundamental food and dining are!
The best part is, you can help set up a 10 Cooking Skills program in your community! Anywhere in the developed world…
~ Maggie J.