Kitchen Connection - Kitchen Connection Events Guide

Back to Blogs

Kitchen Connection Events Guide
Kitchen Connection Events Guide

I. Background on Kitchen Connection:

Kitchen Connection is an online foodie social network where chefs and lay food lovers can teach online and interactive cooking classes. The hosts of the classes (connections) can be paid, or choose to donate some or all of the funds from the class to the partner charity, Action Against Hunger and most recently, Whole Food's Whole Planet Foundation.

We focus on one country every month, and in 2018, we are focusing on countries that are the focus of the UN Together Campaign, with specific attention drawn to the implementation of the SDGs. We normally host an event at Whole Foods, educational institutions and the United Nations. Here are some examples of our events: Israel & Palestine, and Greek Month, Peru Month and at the French Embassy, where we hosted students to learn French through an interactive online cooking experience. 

We operate on two pillars:

1. Live in a Hunger-Free World: The hosts of the classes (connections) can be paid, or choose to donate some or all of the funds from the class to the partner charity, Action Against Hunger and most recently, Whole Food's Whole Planet Foundation, promoting our core value: “I’m Eating — You’re Eating — And Because We’re Eating Together, Someone Else is Eating, Too” 

2. Promote “Gastrodiplomacy” : in the overarching climate of cultural misunderstandings and misrepresentations, Kitchen Connection is combating this by connecting people to learn about each from each other through an online, interactive cooking experience that opens up deeper conversation.

 

 

  —— 

II. Suggestions for the event:   

  • Things to do during the event: 
  • Make sure your internet connection is strong enough. Suggested download/upload speeds of 4Mbps / 512kbps.
  • Have your ingredients and tools ready. You may choose to have a sample finished product prepared to show us. 
  • Place your laptop in a safe area, where the camera can be tilted/moved accordingly.
  • Remind the users of healthy/clean eating and cooking practices i.e. washing hands before cooking, avoiding cross-contamination.
  • Know when things are going to be interactive and let us know, so that we can alert the audience members to join and help. For example, during one of our samosa classes, the audience helped to shape the samosa dough. 
  • Remember to ask the users for answers to any questions that they may have about your country, you, and/or the recipe. 
  • During the session, if the chat turns “red” - there are questions or comments for you, which you can answer there!  
  • Address: Which of the Sustainable Development Goals are you most passionate about, and how can our community on and offline help? Can you suggest specific actions related to food or otherwise that can be done to help? Perhaps you can suggest specific organizations or actions that we can support.
  • Share ways, either via social media or otherwise for. Encourage them to check out your other classes on Kitchen Connection and to sign up for (paid) privates! 

***Lastly, please do not worry!  The point is for this to be as close to a cooking class as possible and not a cooking show. Pretend a family member is in your kitchen learning the recipe next to you - this is the closest thing to physically being with you, and that is how we should approach this. Some things may go wrong, and that’s ok! 

 

III. Consider addressing YOU, YOUR RECIPE, AND YOUR COUNTRY: 

 

A. YOU

Questions to consider answering:

  • About you, a two sentence intro:
  • What city are you from?
  • Where did you grow up?
  • Who is your favorite person(s) to cook for? / Eat with?
  • What is your favorite dish to make? What is your favorite dish to teach? If they are the same, please specify why you like to teach it.
  • What is a food your country is most known for?
  • What are some traditional tools/cookware from your country/region and how are they used?
  • What is one dish, drink or food topic that you want to learn more about?
  • If a tourist just came to your country, and asked what food(s) they should they try, what food would you recommend them to eat? Is there a specific restaurant you recommend?
  • Favorite food(s) / drink(s) from other countries:
  • If you're not living in the same place where you grew up, how have your food traditions changed/ evolved with you?
  • Who taught you to cook? Or did you learn on your own? Who has influenced how and what you cook?
  • What advice would you give to someone who is learning to cook? Where did you learn this piece of advice?
  • Tell us a bit about the local produce, including its difference from Western produce, and local specialties.

 B. YOUR RECIPE

  • What was your first experience cooking this dish (dish that is being taught)
  • What is your favorite dish to cook and why?
  • Why is this dish important to you? 
  • Is it of any historical, religious or economic significance to the region? 
  • Is the dish he or she is teaching an everyday dish, a banquet dish, and/or a religious dish? 

C. YOUR COUNTRY: 

  • In 2015, the UN, along with Member States, Civil Society, and the public/private sectors agreed to working towards achieving these goals by 2030. Which of these goals do you think are most important for your country or region, and why?
  • What are some myths about your country that you would like to dispel? 
  • Are there any remote or indigenous communities in your country that we should know about? If so, what are they known for in terms of foods they grow and/or consume? 
  • Do you think gender equality is an issue in the food world? If so, in what way?
  • Which of these goals are you most passionate about, and how can our community on and offline help? Can you suggest specific actions related to food or otherwise that can be done to help? Perhaps you can suggest specific organizations or actions that we can support?
  • Does food in your country have a certain gender implication? . i.e.: milkshakes are generally associated with females and steak is generally associated with males - note: this is a bias in itself!
  • See below for reference guide related to UN Agencies and programs 

 

IV. General Flow of Event: 

*Duration: 45 minutes - 1:30, depending on number of speakers

*Streaming host from his/her home, with us at a public/private educational institution 

- Setup

- Introduction of Kitchen Connection, partners, and speakers, including, but not limited to country representatives, government officials   

- Meditation and/or musical introduction 

- introduction of host 

- Chef speaks to his/her experiences, country, and recipe (topics addressed above)

- Host guides us through recipe 

- Interactivity - audience members 

- Q/A — Online and in-person attendees given Action Plan list and asked to take KC Impact Survey — Enter to Win Whole Foods Gift Card! 

- Pictures (throughout, but also at the end) 

- Clean up

 

*** Reference guide related to UN Agencies: 

  1. Food and Agricultural Organization: http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/236
  2. SDG 2 Advocacy Hub: http://sdg2advocacyhub.org
  3. International Fund for Agricultural Development: https://www.ifad.org
  4. Sustainable Development: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
  5. UN Essential Guide: https://www.un.org/en/essential-un/index.shtml
  6. UN and Food: http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/food/
  7. World Food Programme: http://www1.wfp.org 

 

 

 



Tags : Kitchen Connection Guide Events

Kitchen Connection

Using this space to Connect you with the world, your world!