by Mardi Michels
If you’ve read my blog for a while now, you’ll know how important my boys' cooking club, Les Petits Chefs, is to me. As an adult and an educator, I feel a great sense of responsibility to pass on my knowledge of from-scratch cooking to my students along with a little education about healthy food choices. Though I sometimes feel my contribution is but a tiny drop in the ocean, at the end of the day, I have to believe that if I make an impression on one little boy (and I know I have!), I am doing a good job. Because that one little boy might teach his siblings how to cook a dish from scratch; they might teach their friends, who might teach their family, who might teach their friends and …. well you get the picture. Big changes don’t necessarily come from big actions – in fact, many small actions can add up to a big change.
I was thrilled to recently be presented with the opportunity to stand up for real food with similarly passionate people all around the world, of course, I jumped at the chance. That’s right FBC members – save the date – May 19th is Food Revolution Day – a global day for raising awareness and education within our communities to empower people to make better food choices. I’m a Food Revolution Ambassador for Toronto, along with a small, dedicated, group of people working together to organise our own events but today I am here to spread the word about the Day, hoping that I will inspire YOU to organise your own “real food” events too.
(And yes, we realise it's on the long weekend for most of Canada but we encourage you to organise events in the week leading up to the Day itself also).
Through this first ever Food Revolution Day, the Jamie Oliver Foundation hopes to inspire, educate, and empower people everywhere to stand up for real food. We're hoping many thousands of people worldwide will participate in events to raise awareness on preventing diet-related diseases, and to arm people with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices that will lead to healthier lives.
I'm hosting my own "pass it on cooking class" with my cooking club where they will teach their parents to make a simple dish from scratch as well as a public event that will take place on May 19th from 10.30 to 12.30 - thanks to the generous support of The Kitchen Studio and The Cookbook Store here in Toronto. I will be offering a small, hands-on cooking class for parents and children.
You, as food bloggers, are armed with education that you could pass on to others through an event, either public or private. Team up with friends, or go solo. What you do and the way you do it is up to you! It can be as simple as hosting a local-food dinner party, planning a tour to a farmer’s market or farm, or a teaching a cooking class. Let your creativity run wild and get involved in a way that suits your style. Check out the different ways you can participate in Food Revolution Day or see if one of these ideas for a local food event might work for you and stand up for REAL FOOD! Already there are 194 events listed in 132 cities across 24 countries – so, how about it?
** If you're looking to connect with local Ambassadors for your region, check out the list of Food Revolution Day Ambassadors here.
*** If you know of an event, please let us know (with a link if possible) in the comments below and we'll organise a special Food Revolution Day event roundup for May.
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Food Revolution Day — May 19th – – saving the date now ! I’m a big fan of Jamie Oliver and the Jamie Oliver Foundation – very inspiring work and one of my favourite celebrity chefs. Looking forward to following your blog and other related topics.
I’ll be sure to add this to my Let’s Eat page and website and hoping that my food blogging group (about 14 members strong across Canada) will do a feature leading up to Food Revolution Day. PASS IT ON !
[…] Beer Garden at Wychwood Barns, and the celebration, fight, and solidarity of and behind Food Revolution Day on a local, global, national, and city-wide […]