“It gave me a sense of belonging”
“When I came here, all the stress and noise around food was gone. Everyone was so welcoming, I really enjoyed the humanisation of cooking and eating”
The Community Kitchen is a cookery school where everyone can cook, learn new skills, connect with their community, and enjoy food together.
We spoke to Steven, a participant who has regularly attended classes at the Community Kitchen. Taking part in Community Classes has helped him rediscover his passion for cooking, reduce his food waste, and forge connections with his community. He told us he has also found the supportive environment and shared experience with other participants and volunteers a valuable tool for his recovery from addiction.
“Cooking used to be a chore. I was a single parent. But coming here has helped reinvent my cooking and realise that recipes are just guides, I now have freedom to try things.”
Before visiting the Community Kitchen Steven had fallen out of love with cooking, finding it repetitive and lacking inspiration. He is recovering from addiction and lives in a shared supportive living house. As part of their programme of support his accommodation provides a Fareshare delivery. The mixture of the ingredients delivered often left him and his housemates, scratching their heads and unsure what to make. He started to attend community cookery classes and courses at the Community Kitchen, looking to reduce his food waste, inspire his cooking and connect with fellow community members.
Steven has attended several of our classes including our Low Energy Cookery class, Batch Cooking and Make Your Own Takeaway. He told us about how the sessions motivated his desire to cook and try new recipes, combinations and ingredients. This has helped him make use of the Fareshare deliveries and share food with his housemates and the skills learnt have helped him reduce food waste by making simple swaps in his recipes. As he put it “the attitude to food is so relaxed at the Community Kitchen, it made me feel confident to give it a go.”
“At first, I was quite anxious to come but it has really helped my confidence. Especially early days in recovery, doing something in the community was so helpful at giving me a sense of belonging. Being part of mainstream life. Eating and cooking food was great for connection.”
Coming to the Community Kitchen has helped Steven feel more connected to the local community and other projects. Through his time here he has become increasingly interested in food politics and local issues and now volunteers at other local projects.
We look forward to continuing to welcome Steven to the Community Kitchen.
Help us continue to provide our community cookery groups:
- Donations: Your financial support can help ensure the kitchen’s continued operation and reach more individuals in need.
- Attend a class: Buy a ticket for one of our evening and weekend classes and learn new cooking techniques from some of Brighton & Hove’s best chefs and cookery teachers.
- Hire the space: Host your next event at the Community Kitchen and contribute to its mission. We host Team Building events, hen do’s, community groups and parties.
