Teaching Kids to Cook and Care

To my great pleasure, eight-year-old Alister is busy preparing dessert. Yes, my youngest is meticulously peeling pears, his brow slightly knitted in focus, with his tongue peeking out as he concentrates. Once he finishes peeling and coring, the pears will be poached and paired with a citrus-infused panna cotta. It’s quite a sophisticated endeavor for a third grader, isn’t it?

Cooking with Kids

In the same kitchen, Alister’s 12-year-old brother, Cameron, is diligently chopping onions. Despite the sting in his eyes, he isn’t about to quit, especially with Chef Carl Heinrich—Top Chef Canada champion and co-owner of renowned restaurant Richmond Station—supervising as they prepare Bolognese sauce for 50 servings.

The boys and I are participating in a session organized by Kids Cook to Care (KCTC) at the Massey Centre in East York, a remarkable nonprofit that allows young volunteers to cook for those in underprivileged communities. Through this initiative, children gain both practical cooking skills and exposure to various ethnic cuisines. This evening, they are collaborating with eight other kids, aged six to sixteen, to create an Italian feast for the expectant and new mothers residing at the centre.

The Birth of a Unique Program

KCTC was initiated in 2009 by Toronto mothers Jill Lewis and Julie Levin. “We noticed a lack of authentic volunteering opportunities for younger children in Toronto,” explains Lewis. “Thus, I thought, why not engage them in a kitchen environment with a celebrity chef and watch the magic unfold?”

“When we lived in New York, we volunteered at a shelter on the Upper West Side,” she recounts. “Upon moving here, I assured my kids that we would continue our cooking and caring efforts in Toronto. However, I found no shelters or soup kitchens willing to accept younger volunteers, which typically required participants to be at least ten. So, alongside a friend, we decided to create something meaningful ourselves.”

The Value of Volunteering

When Lewis invited me to involve my sons with KCTC, I eagerly accepted. Like many well-intentioned families, I had long desired a tangible volunteer opportunity that would allow my children to make a difference while meeting those less fortunate. Yet, I never managed to explore how to coordinate that. Our past efforts for good causes consisted primarily of monetary donations—something often invisible to my kids.

Moreover, the experience perfectly aligns with my inclination to express care and compassion through food. Like the countless casserole-bearing women before me, I find joy in sharing meals during times of crisis (like illness or grief) or joy (for instance, welcoming a new baby). And in between, I’m focused on nourishing my family with wholesome food whenever possible.

Chef Heinrich finds deep significance in KCTC. “I relate strongly to the initiative, particularly the kids cooking and the mission at the Massey Centre. My mother was only 19 when she had me as her second child, and we faced challenges that were probably more intense than many families experience.” His culinary journey began in his early teens, when his mother, now a single parent of three, worked full-time while also managing her family obligations.

“My eldest sister and I took on the task of cooking one meal each week. That’s exactly why I opted for this dish; the sauce was one of the first meals I prepared for my family. After school, I would come home, open cans, brown the beef, and have a sauce ready, waiting for my mother to guide me on cooking the noodles. This experience ignited my passion for food, not just a career. We rarely dined out or used fancy ingredients, but we learned to eat well within our means.”

Empowered and Skillful Kids

Much like how Heinrich’s earlier batches of spaghetti sauce were repurposed into lasagna and then chili later in the week, the children at KCTC chop sufficient onions and mushrooms—and receive a helping hand from mothers for stirring on the industrial stoves—to produce a large pot of sauce for the young residents.

Next, the younger kids form the pasta dough into long ropes while the older ones cut them into pieces. Everyone joins in shaping the pasta. When Chef Heinrich emphasizes that the meal cannot be served until the kitchen is tidy, the kids spring into action. The other moms and I exchange glances, wishing we could inspire such efficiency!

The children then create an assembly line to serve the pasta, sauce, salad, and garlic bread. The youngest of the volunteers, six-year-old Grace, beams with pride as she helps deliver the plates to the residents, who are often holding babies.

To ensure we arrived punctually at the Massey Centre that day, I took the kids out of school an hour early—an easy decision considering the richness of the experience. Once all the guests were served, the kids joined them at the tables to enjoy the very pasta they had been so eager to taste while working diligently in the kitchen. My boys found themselves beside a young woman who didn’t yet have a baby in her arms. “Stay in school, kids. And don’t skip class—it leads you down the wrong path,” she advised.

While I always knew it was a worthwhile decision, I couldn’t help but feel that this single moment justified pulling my kids from school that day.