The Tarrant Area Food Bank is offering free courses for those who wish to learn how to cook.
Based in Fort Worth, the food bank is teaching locals how to prepare “healthy, affordable and delicious meals” through its Cooking Matters® campaign. Workshops taught by culinary and nutritional experts are meant to be a “long-term solution to hunger” by providing cooking and grocery shopping lessons for those struggling with finances or resources, according to the organization’s website.
These classes are offered to individual adults as well as families.
“Lessons cover meal preparation, grocery shopping, food budgeting and nutrition. Participants practice fundamental food preparation skills, including knife techniques, reading ingredient labels and more,” per the organization’s website.
The programs are offered in English and Spanish. Other languages may be provided upon request.
St. Luke’s in the Meadow Episcopal Church has hosted workshops with the food bank and 4Saints Episcopal Food Pantry. Participants at this location are taught skills using food provided by the food bank and are given extra ingredients to practice at home, according to KERA.
Tatiana Casillas and her son, Nathan Casillas, 11, are two such participants in these courses. Tatiana Casillas told KERA that she signed her son up for the classes after he demonstrated interest in helping her in the kitchen. These courses help to fulfill her son’s aspirations to become a chef while helping to feed his four younger siblings.
“This is the first thing that we’re doing besides school and going out as a family,” said Casillas, per KERA. “It’s a skill that he’ll need in life and I really do enjoy my kids in the kitchen because he’s not going to starve, and he’s not going to wait for somebody to cook for him. So definitely a skill in life that he enjoys now.”
To register for these classes or volunteer to host courses, visit the food bank’s website or download the Cooking Matters app. This app is currently only available on Android but will be available for iPhone at a future date.
