The Culinary Arts program at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School introduces students to the principles of professional cooking and provide practical training in the preparation of a wide variety of culinary cuisines. Students have an opportunity to take a hands-on approach to learning by developing their skills working with modern equipment in a licensed and inspected working kitchen.
The day-to-day instructional program reaches much wider than inside the kitchen and classroom. In recent years, the students and staff have provided food and food service to many community organizations, such as:
- Westman & Area Traditional Christmas Dinner - preparing approximately 1,500 dinners for the event;
- Coldest Night of the Year Annual Walk - preparing chili to be served after the walk which supports local charities serving people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness;
- Samaritan House Ministries Inc. - provides the program with various food items for preparation, packing, and freezing to be used for the Safe & Warm Shelters and clients;
- Local food producers and grocery outlets in the area often reach out with items for donation to the program;
- Assiniboine Community College - Farm to Table Initiatives and Programs;
- CFB Shilo - providing food & service for their annual Indigenous Celebration;
- Royal Manitoba Winter Fair - President's Gala Dinner;
- Food for Thought Brandon - working with case managers within the schools to provide meals to students who may be experiencing food security issues at home;
- Continuous work with the CPRSS Horticulture Department and supporting various other local food initiatives.
Last month the freezers in the department had unfortunately broken down. Through various community partnerships, a connection was made with Brandon's Food Rescue Grocery Store which just happened to have a large capacity cold storage container available, and approximately 3,000 pounds of food was saved while the freezers were being repaired. This support from our community partners is very much appreciated.
Most recently, the CPRSS Culinary Arts Department prepared a traditional feast of Three Sisters Soup, Bannock, and Rice Pudding with Berries for the annual Our Journey - Honouring Indigenous Student Success Event on May 29th. We had quite a substantial amount of food left over after the event ended, so we made arrangements to donate the food to the Ask Auntie Blue Door Organization which was then able to provide meals to many individuals in the downtown community.
Brandon School Division is grateful for the community partnerships the Culinary Arts Department has made within our community. Each act of support, whether big or small, has resonated deeply with us and fueled our passion to continue our work. Together, we are stronger, and we look forward to creating even more positive change with your continued support.
